Bond of Partners
by Vstriker
Summary: Vincent's whole life has been full of people who have done nothing but abandon him leading him to believe none can be trusted and eveyone only looks out for themselves. But when he meets a boy with a book, his views start to change a little. Accepting OC
1. What helping people gets

In the middle of Tokyo Japan was an old looking house which sat atop an old hill. The house was still is good living condition, but it was obviously very old. It was also separated form all the others houses in the neighborhood, which made it all the more noticeable. Although many people knew to town assumed the house was empty, someone was living there. The people in town all knew the old woman who lived there, but it was her grandson that brought them all the attention. He was a black light skin male around 6.5 with messy black hair, glasses, black jeans, and a brown t-shirt, white tennis shoes.

This boy was Vincent Heart, and as he laid down in his room sleeping on his bed he had no idea what misfortune awaited him. He sat listening to his headphones as he tapped his foot against the bottom of his bead. Suddenly an old woman came in pushing the door open with a scowl. "You're still sitting here? I told you to go to the store and get some food. If you want to eat dinner I would suggest you go get the food to make it." She said as the boy turned towards the window and way from her.

"Why should I give a crap about dinner. You food taste like crap anyway. I'm just going to stop by the park and but some food form one of those hotdog stands or something. Just order carry out, we have enough money to spare." he said lazily as he shooed his grandmother away. She suddenly sprung at him with her fist raised. He quickly turned around blocking her fist with a bat her pulled from behind his back. "And stop attacking me, you cross old geezer." He stated bitterly.

Vincent had a love hate relationship with his grandmother that leaned mostly towards hate. He despised the way she tried to force him to get into activities and do chores. If she was still in good enough shape to attack him so furiously, then she was well enough to work around the house without his help. "I never taught you to block with a bat, use you're proper training boy." She scolded as Vincent noticed the bat had been slightly bent. She smirked at him. Vincent tossed the bat away, got up, and headed out the door. "Where you going?" She asked scowling.

"I'm going out. Nothing to do here except get harassed by you, so I might as well see what's going on outside. You'll be fine on your own, and if someone ties to the house again just break their arms and tell them I did it when the cops get here." He said heading out. His grandmother then cut him off in front of the door. He knew what this was going to lead to. "Fine, be that way." he said grabbing his skate board from his bed side. He walked to the window before giving her one last smirk.

The third story window suddenly burst into pieces of glass as he jumped from his room with his skate board under him. He landed on the roof of the garage and simply jumped down from there. He then rode of on his skate board not bothering to look back at his now fuming grandparent. "Humph! What a stubborn little child! At some point or another he'll have to realize that life isn't something you can just breeze by in!" She scolded heading back to her room.

The next morning at Vincent's school the teacher walked in to find him sleeping on the teacher's desk. The teacher Mr. Chinchu, a Japanese man a bit taller then Vincent, sighed as he took out his ruler. This school use corporal punishment, so technically he was aloud to hit him. Then again Vincent had been hit before and never learned anything from it. But then again, he really wanted to hit him. "Wake up you bastard!" he yelled striking him in the head with his ruler.

Vincent turned over falling off the desk and grabbing his head. "Ow! What the hell was that about! I slept on you're desk plenty of times and you've never been that pissed about it before! What's the deal?" he asked gritting his teeth in pain. Mr. Chinchu was about the closing thing Vincent had to a father figure, not that he would ever give him the satisfaction of admitting it. This man knew him well, but he hated the way Vincent only gave his best to slack off, and nothing else.

The teacher put a hand on Vincent's head making him bow towards him. "If you've been rude you should bow and apologize to you're teacher! Not go asking stupid questioned like 'what did I do wrong' or crap like that!" He said as Vincent tried to release his head from the man's grasp. The only reason Vincent had even the slightest respect for him, was because he was one of few people strong enough to subdue him. "Might as well knock you're work out. If I made you wait till class you'd only finish early and cut." he said passing Vincent a small stack of papers.

"I'll do it at home again and turn it in tomorrow. It should be fine as long as it's all correct again right?" Vincent asked yawning as he sat in the back row of the class and began to doze off. The teacher scowled at him as he walked towards him ready to strike again. "If you hit me this time, it's fighting time. And I'll just get to spend another week home." he said smirking. All of a sudden he felt his desk being lifted into the air and he opened his eyes to find Mr. Chinchu holding his desk up with ease.

"Like I give a crap about any of that. They could fire me if they wanted, but I'm you're teacher and I'll bug you until the end of time if it means finally getting your lazy behind motivated." He said shaking the desk until Vincent fell out. "I may have been a teacher for some time now, but I promised your father that I'd watch after you until you were ready to take care of yourself. And you are totally not ready so far." He said as Vincent turned away from him crossing his arms.

"Oh, so now your going to be my dad's substitute huh? Guess he was too lazy to do it himself. Or maybe he just had better things to do then look after his own kid and mother-in-law." Vincent said laying back again the wall.

"Don't give me that, you know you don't give two cents about your father leaving you. It's those other ones your so mad at right?" He asked lifting up Vincent by his foot. Vincent hadn't really blamed his father for leaving. It was like he'd never see him again. Apparently his father had left to go compete in tournaments, and his earnings were used to support the house and whatever else they needed. He just happened to have the misfortune of being born after his father left.

He had absolutely no idea who his mother was. She seemed taboo around his grandmother, which made him wonder a bit. She seemed to tell him anything he wanted about his father, but nothing about her own daughter. He brushed that aside years ago though. Whatever reason they left he didn't really care. "I could give a rats ass about who or whatever they are. All I know is your not ether of them so you ain't got a right to be lecturing me." He said taking out a pillow from behind his back.

Chinchu was now angry beyond belief. He lifted Vincent by his shirt and shook him up. "When will you face the fact that life isn't always going to go the way you calculate things! You think everything will work out like you plan just because you force something like you do on you're little chess board! Sooner or later something will go down that you won't have any control of!" he yelled angrily.

Vincent didn't respond. He simply stuck his tongue out. "When the time come that I can't force something to happen, I'll just run away. Everyone else I know has ran away already, so I'm guessing it's working for them. Call it instinct." Vincent said shaking himself loose from his teacher's grip. "No matter what cowardly thing you do, how dirty a tactic is, or how unfair something is as long as you get by in the world it works. If being a lazy coward means I live another day, so be it." He said plainly. Chinchu scowled at him as he walked out taking his book bag with him.

Vincent had finished his work at a nearby fast food joint like he always had during the day, so he decided to head to the park to hustle those hustling old men in chess. He enjoyed taking money form them, and he normally used it to go to the arcade and play video games for the rest of the day. As he made his way into the park, he stopped feeling something bump into him. "Watch where your going." he said coldly.

As he looked down to beat up whoever bumped into him, he saw a little girl in front of him with tear filled eyes. She had brown hair which went back to her shoulder and a pink bow on top of her head. She wore a white shirt with pink strips on it, a brown vest, brown shorts and a pink bunny book bag. "I-I'm really sorry. I just wasn't paying attention to where I was going. Some old me stole my money in chess." She whined rubbing her eyes trying to clear out the tears.

Vincent gritted his teeth upon hearing this. He cursed himself for bumping into this girl. Now he had to do something, and that something was get his money back. He grabbed her hand and began heading back into the park. "We're going to get you're freaking money back. Don't argue with me ether, since you came whining to me about it I'm doing something." he said catching the little girl off guard.

"W-wait a second! I'm sorry I whined to you, but you don't need to go and try to beat that old man! He's really tough, he only makes it look like he's bad so he can get you off guard!" She warned trying to convince him to stop. Vincent smiled ignoring her as he made his way towards the area the old men usually spent time in. They never sat in the exact same spot, since they knew Vincent would find them.

Suddenly a thought hit him. Why was this little girl playing them for money anyway. He usually didn't see kids at the park walking around without there parents. "Yo, little girl, did they force you to play or something?" He asked looking down towards her. She shook her head.

"No mister. I always play for money. My parents don't give me any allowance, so I've been playing to make my own money." She said looking down sadly. Vincent was impressed that a girl this age was able to play chess, and win from the way she so upset by this defeat.

"Listen kid! That being broke thing isn't my problem, but never play 'old people' at the park in chess. Most of them are master class and they only want to hustle you out of money! Yeah they suck compared to me, but even a natural would have a tough time with them." he said as he searched out the park. "Which old guy stole form you?" He asked looking around.

"That one!" the girl said pointing to a short old man.

"That one is the toughest. I didn't think the old bastard was willing to hustle little kids though. C'mon, you might as well watch a real master at work." He said as he made his way over. As they approached the old man looked up and grew surprised to see Vincent. "Hey Grett, give me the kids money back before I have to play you, and embarrass you in front of the girl." He said sitting down in front of him.

"Vincent, long time no see buddy. I was going-"

"You have five seconds to decide, play or give me the money back now. You don't decide and I bust you're wrinkly old face up so bad you'll be so unrecognizable to your own crusty ass mama." he said cracking his knuckles.

The old man quickly made his first move taking white. The brown haired girl watched as they went back and forth. At first she thought they were even, but after a few minutes it was clear that Vincent was winning. A few more minutes and she could see he had already checkmated the man. "Now give me the money back you old clown!" He said holding his hand out.

The old man smiled devilishly as he reached in his pocket. "You know, I usually give you the money out of pure fear when you win, but I brought back up this time. Have you met my grandson?" he asked as Amy turned around and saw someone behind Vincent hold a pipe.

"Look out!" She yelled as the man swung down aiming for the back of his head. Vincent looked behind him and quickly reached behind his back. The pipe his but nothing but a loud CLANK had been heard. As everyone looked they could see Vincent had pulled out a metal bat and blocked the pipe. "_From behind his back?_" The girl thought as she looked amazed.

Vincent swung the bat around knocking the man on the shoulder. He gripped his shoulder as the old man got up trying to blind side Vincent from behind. Vincent then pulled out a gun from his pocket smiling evilly. "So, we're going like what now huh? Well now that I know that I got a few demands myself. I like those shoes." He said signaling him to take them off.

The old man hesitantly took his shoes off and threw them to Vincent. "Now give me the girls money back!" He demanded angrily. The man quickly threw hi wallet which Vincent picked up and handed to the girl. "Get you're money out of there. And as for you, hand me you're watch, you're pants, and you're pocket watch. And do lie and say you don't have one, cause all you old geezers do." He said waving his gun at him.

The old man tossed all the items to him and scowled at him. Vincent stood over him still demanding more through his stare. "I don't have anything else!" he yelled desperately. He heard the gun click. "I really don't have anything else! I'm empty I swear!" he yelled scared out of his mind. Vincent smiled taking aim as the old man. "W-wait! I have something left! It's this thing here!" He yelled pointing to a small cage near the chess table.

Vincent looked inside and saw a small sleeping guinea pig. The girl smiled as she opened up the cage and scooped him up. "Oh! He's so cute! Can I keep him?" She asked looking up at Vincent.

"Sure kid. He's all yours. We'll take him." he said smirking towards the old man.

"You'll buy him?" The old man asked.

"We'll TAKE him!" Vincent said pointing his gun back at him.

"Yeah okay you can have him!" The man said quickly.

"Man, I thought girls didn't like rats or things like that, but if you want him you can have the little-" Suddenly the cage began shaking and Vincent dropped it as he saw something he couldn't believe. The guinea pig had somehow been replaced by a tan boy around three feet tall with brown hair, red eyes, floppy guinea pig ears, a red shirt, and brown shorts. "W-what the heck just happened?" Vincent yelled in disbelief.

The little girl grew wide eyed. "He turned into a boy! He must be a magic guinea pig!" She yelled smiling.

"Your half right. I'm not magic, but I AM a guinea pig! I'm not a rat you four eyed bastard!" He yelled looking towards Vincent angrily. "If you call me that again I'll knock your freaking block off!" He shouted balling his fist at him.

Vincent scowled as he cracked his knuckles and began walk towards the boy. "Threatening me when I'm in this mood, was a big mistake kid. If you think I'm not bellow hitting a kid your way beyond wrong. I'm going to beat you like a drum. Girl close you're eyes. Your not going to want to see this!" He said lifting his fist. He punched at CJ who suddenly lifted a brown book up into the air. Vincent punched the book and it began glowing. "What the-" He was about the say the F word, but he remembered the girl was there. "Fogar!" He changed his last few words so she wouldn't hear anything bad.

He then noticed the book glowing incredibly bright as the boy suddenly grew a thin red amour over him. Then flames began to spread from the boys body surrounding both he and Vincent. Vincent closed his eyes as the other backed away expecting to be burnt, but it never came. "It's you! You must be the one then! You're my book owner! I finally found him!" he yelled grabbing Vincent's leg. Vincent attempted to shake him off because although the flames weren't burning him, he was wondering how long that may last.

I'm your what owner? I don't have any plans on owning you or that dumb ass book your carrying around. So get lost you little shrimp." He said shooing him away. The boy grunted as he kept a tight hold on Vincent's leg. "I said let go you little imp! If you don't get off I'm going to totally flip out on you! Do you want me to hurt you!" He yelled angrily as he used his hand trying to pry him off.

"My name isn't shrimp! It's CJ! And I'm not letting go until you understand the situation that we are in! You are the book owner! You have to fight beside me! And even if you don't decide to fight people will come after you and kill you! People like me!" CJ said jumping onto his back.

Vincent tried to reach back and grab him but he was to elusive for him. "I don't give a green guinea pigs ass about some kids trying to come and kill me! I'll take them all out first if I have to! But I'm not going to sit here and be threatened by some stupid little kid

with rat ears!" He said as he managed to get a hold of CJ's shirt.

CJ kept on avoiding his arms and moved form side to side laughing at him. "I can do this all day! My stamina is light-years ahead of a normal child! So don't even bother trying to catch me!" He said as he jumped down behind Vincent. Vincent kept turning around trying to catch him but he moved to fast and kept zipping behind his back. "Your to slow!" he taunted.

Vincent then smirked as he had an idea. "Too slow this!" He said as he let out a fart. CJ stopped covering his nose. Vincent knew that would get him, but then he grew a little worried when CJ began wobbling. He didn't smell that bad did he? CJ stumbled for a few more seconds before passing out and hitting the ground. "Kid? Hey kid!" Vincent yelled looking over him. CJ sight went black and the last thing he saw were Vincent and the girl standing over him.

* * *

CJ began to slowly wake up in the middle of Vincent's living room. He forgot that he hadn't eaten in a long while. He barely had any stamina left. And that fart in his face didn't help. "He's awake Nii-chan. Should I get him some water or something?" The girl asked as she felt his forehead and looked over him. "You turned into a boy, so you're a magic guinea pig right? You have to be magic, that type of stuff only happens in cartoons with magic and stuff." She reasoned as he tugged lightly on his floppy ears.

Vincent stepped in with a glass of water. "Want some water kid?" He asked smiling as he held the glass out to CJ who nodded yes. Vincent then threw the water in his face. "There! That's for not letting go of my leg you little jackass! What the hell was that about, you nearly lit the whole damn park on fire! It took half an hour to put you out after you tapped out!" He yelled as CJ wiped his face off.

"I can't believe that this annoying guy is my book owner! I could have gotten anyone in the world but this guy! It's impossible!" He yelled burying his face in his pillow. "This guy probably couldn't even beat a regular human, much less a mamodo! He's a total push over!" CJ yelled.

"You keep talking about this book owner nonsense and such and I have yet to see even one small bit of proof that should tell me that your telling the truth! We've been here as home for like three freaking hours, and NO ONE had even knocked on the door!" Vincent shouted. Suddenly a knocked on the door was heard.

"Please don't answer that!" CJ said warningly.

Vincent ignored him and opened the door to find the old man from earlier here. "Oh, it's just you. If you came back with friends to get the money don't bother, I'd just kick the crap out of all of you." he said as he leaned against the inside of the door. "You going to go quietly or do I have to hurt an old man AGAIN?" He asked reaching for his bat.

The old man stepped aside and then saw a boy beside him. He looked down at him and could tell something was different. This kid had a strange aura about him. He then looked back at CJ who was waving his hands to warn him. "Oh shit…" Vincent said as he quickly slammed the door on them.

"Shit indeed." The old man said as he pulled out a book from his coat pocket. "Hishona!" The child beside him suddenly began to glow. He quickly jumped forward knocking the door down with his head.

As they walked in and the dust cleared they could see Vincent holding the girl in his arms protectively, CJ standing in front of them ready to fight, and Vincent's grandmother standing at the head of the group with a double barrel shotgun. "You got three seconds to give me the money to pay for that door and leave before I bust two bullets in both of your asses." She said loading the gun.

The boy kept walking forward and the old woman didn't hesitate to shoot. However the bullet was easily dodged by the boy and he jumped forward kicking the gun form her hand. "Did you think you were the only one who could find a special boy with a book! He was watching the whole time, and once you left he offered me revenge! I'm willing to take it by any means necessary!" He said as the boy kicked Grandma out of the way.

Vincent was furious, but he knew she would be okay. He had to focus on bringing these guys down. "The book! Where did you put the book? I can't use my spells without you reading the book!" He looking to Vincent.

"It's up stairs in my room! Amy run for it I'm going to get it! They don't care about you so just go!" He yelled as the little girl, Amy, now made a run for the door.

"Be careful Nii-chan!" She shouted as Vincent headed up the stairs. The boy next to the old man looked up at him and jumped towards him. Whatever that book did to him seemed to make him stronger and faster. Vincent knew he wasn't going to make it up the stairs before being tackled by this boy. Suddenly CJ came from above using both his feet to stomp down on him.

Vincent fell from the impact of the of the crash and looked back to see CJ standing over a large hole in the stairs. "I'm going to hold him off for a while! Go get the book!" He yelled as Vincent nodded and turned around spiriting towards his room. Suddenly the boy smashed back up through the hole grabbing CJ and smashing him into the ceiling, and then into the floor. CJ winced in pain. This guy was weak to him, but without a spell he couldn't fight back.

Vincent made it into his room and closed the door behind him as if it would help. He couldn't recall ever being so scared in his life. What was going on here? He quickly flipped his bed over and grabbed the book. "Damn it! What was it I said earlier?" He said trying to think back. Suddenly the door smashed in and the boy was behind him. "Oh man!"

"Game over runt! You can consider yourself in check!" the book owner said making his way into his room.

"Fogar!" He yelled desperately. He smiled knowing what was going to happen next, but after a few seconds of waiting he wondered where CJ was. "What the heck is taking this stupid kid so long?" He yelled backing up as the mamodo approached.

"Looks like your partner left you didn't he? Well being such an anti social person you shouldn't be surprised. You never did have a way with people did you Vincent?" He asked rubbing his chin.

Vincent cursed himself for letting this happen. He should have known CJ was going to run away. He couldn't blame him though. Why wrist his life to help some mean random stranger when he could use those powers to make a run for it. He probably would have done the same. Suddenly a loud BANG was heard. Vincent grew wide eyed when he saw Amy behind the mamodo and book owner his grandmother's gun. She he been blown back by the recoil, but she manage to skim the book owner. "Why you little!"

Vincent then grabbed the mamodo from behind and placed him in a head lock. "Amy! I told you to run away you air headed little girl! Why in the world would you come back here?" He shouted.

Amy had tears in her eyes obvious scared of this whole situation. "I-I couldn't just leave you after you helped me like that! I was worried you wouldn't be okay! Where is CJ-kun?" She asked backing up slightly as the book owner approached her.

"He ran away! Just like you should be doing! Do stop fooling around here and go!" Vincent yelled as the mamodo flung him off. "GO!"

Amy was to scared to move from the spot she was standing in. The book owner stepped over her raising his hand. He couldn't just leave her alone to take another shot at him again. All of a sudden a loud crash had been heard. CJ now surrounded with flames jumped up and crashed through the floor. "Who the hell is everyone saying ran away!" He yelled as he landed and looked over towards the other mamodo. "So you want to smash me through the floor huh? Lets return the favor!" He yelled as he raised his flame covered fist.

CJ moved with incredible speed as he punched the boy in the face and sent him crashing through Vincent's window and outside with a trail of flames following behind him. Vincent could see that he had knocked the boy right through three or four trees and saw the impact he made when he crashed into the ground. "And as for you!" CJ said turning around to the old man who was now trembling in fear. CJ took a few steps towards him and then passed out. Vincent caught him making sure he was okay, but the old man took this chance to run.

Suddenly Grandma came from the bottom of the stairs and kicked him right in the face. He flew back up the stairs as Vincent then stepped on top of him. "And it's called checkmate bitch." He said as Amy stuck her tongue out from behind him.

"What the hell is going on here anyway?" Grandma asked scowling at Vincent.

Vincent shrugged his shoulder. "I don't really know my self grandma. But I do know that I'm throwing this piece of crap in the fireplace." He said picking up the old man's book. He then looked back at CJ and glared at him. "_That kid didn't run away when he had the chance. He used all his power to one shot that kid out there. Why didn't he just run away? And Amy to. Why didn't they just run?_" Vincent questioned. He would ask CJ to clearly explain what was happening later. For now he would just make sure he was okay. This was the first time in his life someone besides his grandma hadn't abandoned him. He'd have to seriously rethink some things.

* * *

**A/N: Guess whose back! HAHAHAHA! I'm here to thorw my story in and keep up with the newbies! Not that they don't have good stories ether! Most of you probably know my little cousin's, but now i'm back with avengance and my OC's are mine once again! I'll be happy to accept nay OC and helpful criticism I've been out of the game for a while.**

**On a side not, an old running gag my previous zatch bell fic was that CJ would use a flame spell, and then Vincent would fart.**


	2. The Fight is on!

Vincent watched CJ who ran out in the yard as if he was a puppy exploring his knew home. He was bitter sweet about the situation he found himself in, and quite honestly didn't know how to respond. He could have simply burned the book and be done with him according to what CJ said, but he wasn't going to jumped into that idea to quickly less he regret it later. In the meantime he kept the book hidden in his backpack. If someone saw it he could end up being attacked again. "This is a pretty troubling situation. I've got to approach this carefully." He mumbled.

"Or you could just get rid of him. I get angry enough with just you around here, and I don't need another brat running around trying to try my nerves." Grandma said as she entered into his room and placed a bag of laundry on his bed. "Put these clothes away and then go feed that odd boy running around outside. If you want to keep him he has to be your responsibility." She said closing the door behind him.

Vincent scowled at the old woman as she left out. She made it sound like he was adopting a dog rather then a kid. He had no intentions of taking care of this brat, and if he wanted to stay here he could eat and forge food for himself. Just as he was about to yell for CJ to come in and eat something he noticed the book sitting on the table beside him. The brown book he had gotten only seemed to have one readable line. It was gibberish, but somehow he could understand the first spell.

He wondered why none of the other lines were able to be read. If they had access to more of this power CJ had showed him the other day they could easily get through this situation and win this god forsaken battle. "Why can't I read the other lines? There has to be some way to unlock these freaking things." He said as he opened his drawer and dumped all of his clothes in at once. He knew he was just going to grab a jersey and some pants later on anyway. He didn't like ironing.

He then closed the book and got up walking outside with it. He needed to question CJ and get some more information on this thing. As he opened the door and stomped out he saw Amy standing in front of him. "I came over to play again today, Vincent-Nii. Can we not play chess this time, it was to hard trying to even keep up with your moves. Besides I brought scrabble." She said holding up the game board.

"I don't have time for this Amy. I need to question that little runt outside and you need to get home before something like that first attack happens again. I can't promise I can protect you, so don't get involved." Vincent said walking right past her. As he did so he noticed CJ was now staring across the street as if he was in some trance. "Hey CJ! Snap out of it! I need to ask you some questions about this thing." Vincent demanded holding out the book.

CJ rushed to Vincent covering his mouth with his hand. Vincent was about to pimp smack him but CJ spoke. "Their coming." He whispered as his partner grew wide eyed. The enemy was apparently on it's way and he was still in the dark about this book situation. He needed more time before he just jumped into a battle. He'd let this guy off the hook for now, wherever he was. Vincent couldn't see him but he assumed CJ's vision was better then his. "I'll get the bastard!" CJ yelled charging in on all fours.

Vincent pulled out his gun firing right in front of the spot CJ was headed. "You take one more step I'll fill you with so much led pencils will be jealous! Before you go charging in let me think over the situation!" Vincent yelled as he grabbed CJ's shirt and shook him by his collar. CJ didn't looked Vincent in the eyes. He only pointed up into the air as Vincent followed his finger.

"Wow, he found me pretty quickly. must have been hard with you shaking him around like that." From the tree in Vincent's yard a boy sat leaning against the trunk standing on a nearby branch. He had Short spiky black hair, sapphire blue eyes, and slightly tanned skin. Both ears were pierced with silver stubs, and he was 5'7 and skinny. "I was trying to lay low but since that kid spotted me I might as well just run. Catch ya." He said jumping off towards his escape.

CJ quickly transformed into his animal form and jumped after the boy who was now running off the roof tops. He made his way to the boys side and then jumped to the side and rammed him in the rib cage. The older boy was surprised at how much strength CJ held in such a small form. He tumbled back and grabbed roof top stopping himself form falling off. He then kicked away from the roof and landed on the street making another run for it. "I have to get away. I don't feel like fighting." He said plainly.

"Stop!" Amy yelled cutting the fleeing teen off. He listened wondering what this child was doing. She ran up to him grabbing onto his leg and holding on a tightly as she could. "Nii-chan! I caught him! Hit him now!" Amy yelled as the teen grew a look of disbelief on his face. She tricked him, the cunning little brat.

The boy kept running as if the girl wasn't even hanging on. He seemed unaffected by her attempts to slow him down. Suddenly a bullet flew by him and he turned to see Vincent on a skate board pursuing him. "I told that brat to go home. Why doesn't she listen to me. If I'm her Nii-chan she should follow my orders for once." He mumbled taking aim at him. "Keep running and I'll bust a cap in your behind." He said as he ran even faster.

"No way in hell I'm going to stop now. I might have to find Haley is this keeps up." He said as he scowled turning around the corner. CJ then appeared beside the fleeing teen in human form. He swung his claw at Kai who avoided the sharp weapons only to trip over Amy. He fell back as Amy got up smiling. She had stopped him!

The boy tried to get up but Vincent stepped on his shoulder and pointed the gun at his forehead. Kai looked up to see Vincent smirking evilly as he pressed the weapon against the boy's head. "I told you if you ran I would shoot right?" He asked as the boy wore the same scowl on his face. "I'm not going to kill you because you might have information that'll be useful to me. So get up and lead us to your book owner." Vincent said as the boy raised his hands surrendering.

"I'm not taking you to my book owner, but I'll give you some information if you let me go." He said as Vincent seemed to think it over.

"Or, I could shoot you and leave it at that. I don't really need to burn your book if I kill you right?" Vincent asked. The captive began walking with a sigh hoping he could lead them off and escape before his book owner found them. Amy rushed to Vincent tugging his shirt and whispering something in his ear. "Oh, and give the kid a piggy back." He demanded.

"That's a joke right? It's not very funny though." he said bitterly.

"It's a joke most people get when their deep sixed. Want to hear the punch line." Vincent asked as the boy heard the gun click. He sighed as Amy hopped on his shoulder smiling. This was humiliating.

* * *

A girl walked through the park with long red hair that was in a ponytail, had hazel eyes, and light skin. She was 5'8 and had a healthy figure. She wore light blue t-shirt, blue shorts and sandals. "Kai's late again. If he's not going to pick up the groceries he could at least meet me on time to help me bring them home." she said a bit irritated. How could he eat so much yet be nowhere to be seen when it was time to pick up groceries.

"AAHHH!"

The girl turned around hearing a loud scream. She recognized that voice all to well. It was Kai! She dropped the groceries heading towards where the screen came from. She rushed through the bushes and saw Kai laying on the ground holding his head. Vincent was standing over him and scowling as Amy sat on the ground rubbing her head as well. "You pistol whipped me!" Kai yelled looking up.

"You threw her!" Vincent yelled pointing to Amy.

"She fell!" Kai yelled back.

"Actually I did fall." Amy added.

"Well! In that case I just wanted to hit you!" Vincent yelled pointing the gun at him once more.

The red haired girl quickly reached in her backpack pulling out a spell book. Vincent hadn't noticed, but the teen on the ground had seen his partner for some time now. He lifted his hand as the girl read out a spell. "Kazedron!" the teen shot a blast of wind from his hand right at CJ not wanting to hurt Amy or Vincent since they were human. CJ flew off and landed in a thorn bush. As he painfully tried to rustle his way out Kai looked towards Vincent.

"Okay guy, since your partner is gone I suggest you just give up and hand over the book. I don't want to hurt-" Vincent quickly hit him in the stomach with the bottom of the bat and as Kai leaned over his pain he struck the back of his head. Vincent lifted the bat once more not giving him the chance to recover, but then felt himself kicked from behind.

"Kai! He's just a human! I know your lazy but you could at the very least take that guy! We have to burn his book before his partner gets back or else it could become troublesome." The red haired yelled as Kai got up rubbing his head. The girl began to run forward to help Kai, but suddenly tripped. She looked down and saw Amy grabbing her leg and holding on tightly.

"You leave Nii-chan and CJ alone!" She yelled with trying to hold back her tears.

The girl looked down confused at what to do. She wasn't sure what to do about this kid. She couldn't hurt her, and she couldn't simply leave her to run around while the fight was going on. "Just watch the brat for now Haley. I'll handle the four eyes and his pet." Kai said a bit annoyed at the two. He just wanted to go home and relax, yet somehow he ended up kidnapped and pistol whipped. He was more then ready to fight.

Vincent looked for his gun but couldn't find it. He then pulled out the spell book and read the first line. "Fogar!" Vincent turned around and saw that the bush CJ was stuck in had lit on fire. Another large burst of fire suddenly appeared turning the bush into ashes. CJ quickly burned the thorns stuck in his backside away and turned to face Kai. "We should have just used a spell from the start! I'm burning up now!" CJ yelled ready to throw down.

"Haley, I don't want you to hold anything back on these guys. Their crazy but they know what their doing, so don't underestimate them." Kai said as he and CJ circled around each other. Haley nodded preparing to read out another spell but Amy jumped up trying to grab the book.

"Hey kid! Knock it off! I know your worried about them but- stop it!" She yelled as Amy kept trying to steal the book.

"Amy, stop! I know these guys are the enemy, but I need more information on how their spell works. I'll won't books after this since it may come in handy for study later. Beating them should be just fine since they can't attack without their books." Vincent said as Kai glared at him.

Haley noticed something he had said about his rant. "Spell? As in one? You only have one spell so far don't you?" She asked perking Vincent's attention. "You sure were acting confident for someone who must have just gotten the book. We don't have any plans on losing to the likes of you."

Vincent turned around seeming to ignore everyone else's presence for now. He was thinking on what may have been the correct move to make. "Should I just let them go for now? No, a chance like this won't come again. The battles in our favor so maybe I should just burn the book. But then I might lose valuable info." He muttered to himself but could be heard clearly by everyone around him.

"Stop talking like we're not even here." Kai said as he ran towards CJ dodging the balls of fire the brown haired boy had thrown at him. He made his way to CJ and then held out his hand. "Kazedron!" CJ jumped back ready to dodge but Vincent suddenly came behind him holding him in place. CJ crossed his arms ready to block and felt the wind push him back slightly. The flames from CJ suddenly grew wider and Kai jumped back surprised.

Vincent smirked at he held CJ up in the air. "Fire only spreads when you throw wind into the mix, and since I can't be hurt by the flames then I'll be fine just standing at this guys side. You on the other hand will burn when you touch him." Vincent explained as he set CJ back down on the ground. "Look, I don't like bullying people, so why don't you just hand over the book. I won't burn it right away, and it's as good as mine anyway." Vincent said shrugging his shoulders.

Haley scoffed with a bit of an amused smirk on her face. This had to be only his first or second battle and he seemed to already know the outcome. "Kai, lets show this guy what we're made of!" She said reading off another spell. "Chisokumera!" As she read the spell Kai smiled taking off with great speed. He rushed CJ who was surprised at his burst of speed and wasn't able to block his kick. CJ flew off to the side but stopped himself by grabbing hold on the ground.

Vincent looked surprised as well. He kicked CJ so fast the fire hadn't got a chance to burn him, but Kai seemed to receive a little burning on his pants leg. He couldn't drag this out or he'd end up getting burned. "Okay, so maybe your worth a little more then I gave you credit for. But this is still on out favor. CJ, use that move I taught you yesterday!" He yelled as CJ hoped back up to his feet.

CJ smiled as he rushed forward running on his tip toes. He then began shooting fire from his heels increasing his running speed. He charged at Kai ramming him with his head and smashing him through the large water fountain in the middle of the park. Haley saw a few people around watching and backing away in fear. "Wait a second! We can't fight here! There are too many people that could get in the way." Haley warned as Vincent simply stared at her.

"I don't care about them to be quite honest with you. If they were to stupid to run then that was there fault." Vincent said as plainly Haley glared angrily at him. Vincent watched for a few more second as Kai got up and shook his head trying to get himself together. Surprisingly CJ was doing the same. He seemed to hit his head very hard after ramming him.

Haley was furious at Vincent's harsh words. She was already mad about the fact that he hurt Kai, but now he was endangering other and not giving a second thought about it. She was about to yell for Kai to lead them away from here so she could beat them, but the flames around CJ suddenly died down. Both Vincent and Haley looked confused as Kai kept a close eye on him. "She's right, I don't want to fight if other people are going to be in danger. We need to move." CJ said as he began walking off.

Vincent walked forward angrily. "Are you serious? We finally got them on the ropes and now we're giving them a chance to blindside us or escape just because you want to change stages. This isn't some comic book and you ain't no super hero! Just finish it!" Vincent yelled as CJ returned his glare.

"Shut up! The other day you were yelling for Amy for run, but now that we're around other people who aren't even involved you don't even care! Make up your mind! And I'm not going to stay and fight if other people are put in danger!" CJ yelled as Vincent slapped his forehead in disbelief. Amy looked back and forth between the two not sure who to agree with. On one hand they could have finished this already, but CJ and Haley were right not to endanger the others.

Vincent looked down at CJ and stomped his foot angrily. "If the people aren't already running after seeing flames and tornados shoot up in the air it's there own fault for being that stupid! That useless compassion is what's going to get us killed, and it honestly makes me wanna throw up!" Vincent yelled as he began walking off. CJ wondered where he was headed. "Well? Your all whining about being around people, so lets move!" Vincent yelled angrily.

Haley and Kai shot daggers at Vincent and CJ merely followed his book own happy they were moving away form any innocent onlookers. Vincent was sickened by this. He didn't understand why CJ would stop right when he had the chance to strike Kai in his confusion. Now they had a chance to find a way to beat them. Or even worst, attack from behind while they were moving. He kept a close eye on them.

* * *

After a short walk Vincent had taken them to the junkyard he had usually hung out in. It had been abandoned for some time now, so here would be fine. "Now, can we get this over with? Are all your silly little consciences' clear?" He asked angrily.

"How can you be that selfish? Even that girl you were with could have gotten hurt if we had stayed in a place like that. Or do you not care about her ether?" Haley asked angrily.

Vincent raised an eyebrow at her. "I told her to leave us alone already. If she gets hurt it isn't my fault, not that it'll happen. I'll finish you guys off now." he said as CJ looked back at him. If this was a manga Vincent would have definitely been classified as a bad guy. And that made him guilty by association.

"Fogar!" CJ once again went aflame as he charged as Kai shooting flames from his heels as he ran. Kai tried to dodged but was hit on his side and fell over. CJ kept going and slammed into the wall. He quickly jumped back through the hole he made rushing at Kai once again. "Kazedron!" Kai blasted CJ with a blast of wind, but it only managed to slow the boy down for a bit before he once again slammed into Kai.

Kai fell back as CJ landed on his stomach. Kai didn't exactly know how he was going to deal with this repeated move. Both he and Haley could tell by now he was only able to charge forward and couldn't change direction one he busted forward. But the problem was that Kai's speed spell couldn't dodge it, and his attack couldn't stop it. They were stumped.

"Here I come!" CJ said as he rushed at Kai once more. Kai didn't have much time to think, but he reacted properly. He had only thought of this right before the younger boy charged, but he leaned back landing on his back and then kicking up the in air with both feet. He nailed CJ right in the stomach and sent him flying into the air. He then aimed his hand up.

"Haley now!" He yelled taking aim at the falling CJ. "Kazedron!" Kai shot another blast of wind form his hand and sent him flying even further. CJ flew up into the air out cold by the impact of his crash. Vincent could see the boy, but he was at quite a high height at this point. Suddenly CJ opened his eyes again. He shot flames from his feet propelling himself back down towards Kai. He wasn't down just yet.

"He's going to charge again. And I don't think that trick is going to work twice! We've got to shoot him from the air before he gets a chance to land!" Kai said as Haley nodded. "Kazedron!" Another blast of wind headed towards CJ who blasted fire from his hands to push himself out of the way. Kai then aimed down to the spot CJ was going to land. No matter how fast he was he couldn't move from this close. He simply had to time the landing.

CJ landed on the ground and Haley was about to read a spell. Kai was ready when suddenly he felt his hand pulled to the side. Vincent ran up blind siding him and kneeing him in the rib cage. Kai slide back grabbing his side as Vincent stood breathing heavily.

What was he thinking? CJ could take an attack much better then he could. Even if he had taken it head on again he would have been fine. But out of simply reaction he charged Kai. He was grateful the boy hadn't seen him charging, other wise he would have been open to attack and the book could have been history. "So you have a heart after all I guess." CJ said looking up to Vincent.

"Shut up. The only reason I helped you is cause your probably to weak to take that attack at this point. Don't screw up like that again or else your on your own!" Vincent scolded as CJ simply smirked.

With that CJ charged forward once again heading towards Kai. Hale balled her fist up angrily. She needed to think of something and quick. Kai couldn't keep up with him. "I have to do something! Kai needs my help!" She thought gripping the book. Suddenly it began to glow brightly.

"Haley! Is that a new spell?" Kai asked looking back towards his partner. Haley stared for a few more seconds before nodding. "Use it quick!" He ordered.

Vincent grew wide eyed in disbelief. How could they have gotten a new spell in the middle of the battle. His plan was in ruins now. "CJ! Finish him off quick! Aim for the book!" He said pointing towards Haley. It was to dangerous to simply try and take their book at this point. He needed to win.

CJ blasted himself forward towards Haley as Kai stepped in front of her. "Kazesaimon!" Kai swung his arms sending wind slashes at the oncoming CJ. The fire surrounding him kept the slashes from cutting him, but it force behind them sent him hurling back and slamming into the ground. "Yes! That fire may be protecting him, but at least it has enough force to counter that charge!" Kai said smirking.

Vincent gritted his teeth. This situation had been reversed so quickly he didn't know what to do next. He quickly pulled out his bat and tossed it at Kai who saw it at the last minute and ducked avoiding it. This gave CJ time to get himself together from the impact of his crash. "Looks like fire bursting won't work on him anymore. What do I do now?" he mumbled rubbing his head. He then saw Vincent trying to distract Kai. He took this chance to try and blindside him.

"Kai look out!" Haley warned as Kai looked to the side to see CJ rushing at him. He turned around aiming at CJ. "Kazedron!" with another shot of wind CJ was sent flying back. He managed to make a small wall of fire in front of his hands to hold off the wind, but it was still coming at him. Kai was putting some extra power into this one. He was going to take this opening to win.

CJ was being pushed back barely able to hold of the wind. His circle of fire was barely holding up at this point. He then noticed Vincent was behind him. Both he and the book were in danger now. CJ turned back around and then pushed upwards he slowly but shortly was able to push the blast of wind upwards and send it flying into the air. He then fell to his knees to tired to keep this up. His flames died down drastically. "Vincent, run for it. Even if they beat me I won't be eliminated until they burn the book." CJ said breathing heavily.

Kai got ready to take another shot at CJ. He could tell he was tired and that this would be enough to simply knock him out. Then he'd take the book from Vincent. "Haley, just put a little power into it. I don't want to kill the kid, just knock him out." Kai said as Haley nodded. "Kazesaimon!" Kai sent two wind slashes at CJ who was to tired to even move.

Vincent looked down at CJ who was still telling him to run, and by now he normally would have done it. "Damn it all!" He yelled running forward. He grabbed CJ and jumped out of the way of the slashes, but felt one of his legs get skimmed by it. Kai and Haley were surprised and worried. Although it would have only knocked CJ out, it was a fatal cut to a normal human.

CJ looked up at Vincent who was wearing an expression of pain on his face. "You didn't run! I thought you said if something happened to me you'd save the book first! Why didn't you do as we planned?" CJ asked.

"Shut the hell up! I'm already going against my better judgment by saving your ass! Don't make me regret it or else I'll use you as a human shield." Vincent yelled. CJ could tell his anger was coming mostly from his pain.

He also knew this was something he never expected form Vincent. Over the past few days he had only see the boy do things that only benefited himself. He never would have thought he'd actually stay behind to save him. He grew a serious look on his face and forced himself to his feet. Vincent wondered what he was doing. He should have been dragging him away by his good leg. "We'd never make it, and you know it! We have to make our last stand here!" CJ said as his fire grew once more.

Vincent looked at him for a few seconds then smirked. "Freaking idiot. But fine, if you want to win that badly I'll put some effort into it this time. Your fire is apparently based on emotion so you should-" Vincent suddenly looked down as he saw the book glowing. He and CJ looked down wondering is what they were seeing was real.

"I-is that a new spell?" CJ asked. Vincent slowly nodded his head looking up to CJ.

Kai and Haley now wore the surprised looks on their faces. Kai ran forward signaling Haley to read a spell. "Kazedron!" Kai shot at them hoping his attack would get to him before CJ's new spell could take effect. "Foku!" CJ then grew brown amour around him, and then stomped on the ground causing a rock wall to form in front of him. "Holy crap! Your controlling earth now?" Vincent said amazed.

"Rock beats wind." CJ said as he stomped on the ground once more sending two large rocks at Kai. Kai jumped back to protect Haley as she read out a spell. "Kazesaimon!" Kai shot two wind slashes cutting the rocks in half and stopping them in their tracks. They prepared for another attack, but then saw Vincent and CJ were gone.

"They ran away." Kai said plainly. He almost couldn't believe this had happened. "Well, at least in can finally get some sleep now." Kai said as Haley sighed shaking her head towards him.

"This one was a close call. It's going to be dangerous if we run into those guys again." She said sighing. "But, that glasses guy… he's a jerk sure, but I didn't think he was a bad guy. He's seemed really confused when he helped his partner. Maybe he's jut got issues or something." Haley concluded.

"Or, he's just a jerk." Kai said beginning to walk off.

"That's likely." She added.

* * *

Vincent sat at home as his grandmother treated his leg. She always had painful, but effective remedies when it came to flesh wounds. "OW! Your healing me not killing me you old bat! Stop making it sting so much!" Vincent yelled as CJ sat in front of the TV slipping through channels.

His grandmother twisted his leg muttering something which sounded like 'Ungrateful brat' or something along those lines. Vincent wasn't sure if he really wanted to hear what she said. It had to be bad since she muttered it to keep CJ from hearing. Amy then appeared beside Vincent looking up at him. "Nii-chan looked a lot like a bad guy today. You should work on that." She said frowning at him.

"No, Vincent actually did pretty good after we left you behind. He's still a jerk, but he's a semi nice jerk." CJ said knowing he was safely out of Vincent's reach now.

Vincent ignored this and instead held up the book. "Me and that red head got new spell in the middle of the battle, is that how it always works?" Vincent asked pointing to the book. "Is that how this stupid thing works?" He asked.

"Nope, the book reacts to emotions and whatnot when it comes to getting new spells. I'm not completely sure how it works ether, but you must have done something right. Maybe it was because you decided to save me." CJ said smiling towards him.

Vincent held the book above his head and looked at him. "Saving him? What does that have to do with anything. All I did was make a last minute mistake, or decision, or whatever! This is so confusing! Why are people to hard to understand? And this is just a book! It's supposed to be simple!" Vincent thought as he gritted his teeth lost in his thoughts.

Just as Vincent was about to grow completely lost in his thoughts, he saw s glimpse of something on TV. He turned his head but CJ turned the channel. "Hey! Turn that back!" Vincent ordered. CJ crossed his arms turning it back grumpily. Vincent looked on and saw a boxing match for the junior female feather weight league.

"Oh, have you finally began taking an interest in girl you wuss? I was beginning to think you were swinging that way-"

"Shut up!" He yelled cutting of his grandmother. He looked on and saw a familiar face. As if he had seen this girl before somewhere. He wanted to brush it aside and ignore it, but he couldn't help but feel he needed to find out. It was right on the tip of his mind. She was someone he definitely knew. Realization then hit him. "She's back…" Vincent mumbled to himself. For the first time in who knows how long he felt genuine happiness. She was returning!

* * *

A/N: I would apologize for the long update, but... I was just lazy. I'm pretty sure that's something most of you understand... Well! You should pretty much know who the girl showing up in the next chapter is. I put Kai in first because he shares similar traits to Vincent. Anyhow Hope you like the chapter. Critisism is welcomed, but flaming will result in an imediate ass kicking.


	3. Twin Trouble!

In the middle of a boxing arena at the center of the mall in town a crowd gathered ready to see the oncoming fight. It was the semifinals of the female junior champion featherweight competition. As the crowd gathered the two competitors entered the ring ready to start. One of the girls had pale skin, short black hair with a single barrette worn in it, and emerald green eyes. She looked around sixteen or so, and she was pumped already throwing a few practice punches.

The man behind her was obviously her father from the family resemblance. He patted her on the shoulder and smiled. "You got this Teal. I've seen this girl fight and you've knocked out people way tougher then her. Just remember to keep that left up and watch those uppercuts. She's known for having real powerful uppercuts." He warned as he she threw a few more punches.

"Relax dad. I've studied up and this girl and she's weak when it comes to guarding right jabs. A few of those and it should be no problem." She assured as he put in her mouth guard. "You might as well head home and start making the celebration dinner cause this is going to be over quick." She said as she walked in to the Ref.

"You two already know the rules. I want a good clean fight. Knuckle up." He said as the girls bumped fist with each other. Teal lifted her fist as the girl before her did the same. She threw the first punch giving no room for the girl to strike back. She kept on pressing forward pushing her opponent back and didn't let up for even a second. She was going to that championship even if it killed her! There was too much on this to lose!

* * *

Vincent walked through the street thinking, wondering how he should approach such a matter. He hadn't seen her in years, he couldn't simply pop up out of nowhere. Maybe he could bring her a gift or something, girls liked that stuff. At least he thought they did. "Who ya looking for again?" CJ asked trying to get it out of Vincent. He had refused to tell the boy anything ever since he had seen her again, but was tired of his whining and broke down.

"My friend Teal is back in town. She's in the semifinals and probably the championship fight, so I want to say hi while she's still here." Vincent said still looking a bit depressed. "She probably doesn't even remember me, but just seeing her will be good enough." he said as two guards began to approach him. He lifted his leg knocking on of them out with a knee to the head and extended his foot knocking the other out with a kick to the face.

CJ didn't seemed surprised at this point, but he was very impressed. He hadn't known Vincent used some kind of martial arts until he had busted into this place beating up the first few guards. He assumed he was only using instinct to fight. "How long have you been practicing this… what was it called again?"

"Muay Thai. And I've been getting drilled in it by grandma ever since I can remember. Honestly I hate using it, I prefer using street fighting. But I guess if I had to pick any martial arts it'd be this one. It's not to flashy or anything like that." He said rubbing his hand a bit. "I forgot to put my bandages on. They help ease the pain down when I overdue it a little." He said opening and closing his hand to let blood flow into his fingers. It wasn't good to keep his fist balled up for too long.

"I don't understand. If you don't like using it why do you practice it so much. Is it cause your grandma makes you? She can only keep you from stopping for so long you know. Your almost a grown man." CJ said snickering.

"I'm not doing it for that old bats sake. I'm doing it because I want something from my mother. Experienced Muay Thai fighters are given a headband by their teachers when they think their ready to go out on their own. It's called a Mongkhon. My mother had one, and I want to take it from her." He said as CJ looked even more confused.

"Why would you want to take something from your mother? I thought you didn't even know or care about her, so why bother learning something you don't even like just to fight her?" CJ asked scratching his head.

Vincent smirked evilly to himself. "Because, I wouldn't feel right if I went through life without taking something from each of my family members. The only thing I know about my mother is that she's a Muay thai expert, so taking her headband is the closest thing I can thing of." He said as CH sweat dropped. This boy was evil physically manifested.

"You're a piece of work you know that…" CJ said as Vincent turned towards him glaring at him. CJ then noticed he bumped into another child. "S-sorry about that kid." CJ said stepping aside to let the group of children in front of him past.

Vincent lifted CJ up and looked down angrily at the kids. "Get out of the way you little short stumps! You ether move or else I'll squash you little runts!" Vincent yelled as the kids moved aside angrily. He smirked proud of how easily he could still instill fear. He thought he had gone soft since CJ and Amy were clinging to him to much. "I still got it." Vincent said walking past them.

He then felt a hand on his shoulder and he turned to see who dared to challenge him. "You can't just push those kids around like that! Apologize to them!" the voice demanded as Vincent turned to see a teenage girl slightly taller than 1.5 meters. She had long flowing sky blue hair along with a pair of emerald eyes , she wore a light blue dress along with a blue skirt. "I said Apologize."

Vincent's hand began shaking as he quickly stuffed them in his pockets. CJ noticed this but didn't say anything wanting to see what happened next. Vincent tried to slow down his breathing not wanting her or CJ to think he was starting to panic. He glared at the girl and tried to keep walking, but she held a grip on his shoulder. "Let go." He demanded,

"I told you to say sorry to those kids. Your not going anywhere until you do." She stated as she pulled Vincent back. The kids around her looked worried and didn't know what to do, but CJ simply watched with a hint of amusement, he didn't know how to handle older girls, but he was sure he'd find out.

Vincent once again tried to keep walking but the girl pulled him back. He began breathing heavily as he suddenly turned around and swung a fist at the girl who stepped back just in time to dodge the blow. "D-don't touch me!" Vincent yelled putting his hands back in his pockets. CJ was a bit surprised. He didn't expect Vincent to swing at the girl, even he wasn't this violent. He normally would have just shoved the girl away and ran, but he swung intending to hurt her.

"Vincent! Calm down! What the heck are you doing?" CJ said grabbing onto Vincent's pants leg. He pulled Vincent back but the teen didn't budge.

"Rika-Nee, look out! This guy is dangerous!" One of the children shouted as they all crowded around the girl who scooted them all behind her.

"Back up guys. If this guy wants a fight I'll give him one." Rika said stepping towards Vincent who shook his head regaining his composure.

He sighed as he pulled out his skateboard from his back. "I screwed up, I need to get out of here. CJ, we're going. Now." He said as the boy hopped on his back. Vincent pushed of the skateboard to make his escape.

As he made his way around the corner another child ran around causing him to crash into him. They fell and he looked up to see a boy who had white hair, although the length was hidden by the nun hat on his head. He had azure eyes and was dressed in what looked like a custom made nun outfit. It's looked like a traditional outfit, although the dress that covered only part of his body and it has a cross shape on it in the center. "Ow, sorry for that. I didn't see you there." the boy said rubbing his head.

"Are you okay Azure?" Another voice asked a few feet away. Behind the boy was a girl who had silver hair and azure eye. She looked around 7 or 8 at first glance, but Vincent guessed she was around ten or so. She was wearing the same customized sister's outfit like her obvious twin brother. "That looked like it hurt. Are you guys okay?" She asked helping her brother up.

Rika had noticed that Vincent had dropped something when he had fell. As she looked closer she could see it was a book. After getting a good glance at CJ she knew what was going on and reached in her bag to get her book. "Christ, take the other back home. The trip to the store is over." Rika said. The oldest looking child nodded and the others followed him back down the street. "Azure, Adella! Get away from that guy!"

Vincent looked confused. Was she that pressed to get at him for yelling at those kids. CJ then tugged on Vincent's shirt as he pointed over towards Rika who he now saw had a book in her hands. She read out a spell as he placed his hand on the book shouting the first one he could remember. "Runae!" "Fogar!" The boy twin shot out icicles from his hands but CJ's flames easily melted them before they could make contact. "Oh this works out perfectly." Vincent said with an evil smile.

Rika gritted her teeth as Azure took a few steps back shielding his sister behind him. Why did he have to have a fire spell of all things. Vincent could now at least tell only one of the twins were of use. The other was dead weight for now, but the book owner probably wouldn't be gone for long, so he wanted to finish this. "Azure, aim for the book. We can't make any contact with the kid!" Rika said pointing towards Vincent.

Azure nodded running forward and heading for Vincent. CJ then cut Azure off punching him in the stomach and sent him sliding back with his dress partly burnt through. "Don't think I'll let you get to my book owner so easily. Who do you think I am?" CJ said as Azure glared at him angrily. The two were at a stand still until Azure moved forward towards his opponents once more.

"Lashield!" A frozen ice wall grew in front of CJ and the very flames he shot out reflected of the wall and blinded him. He covered his eyes and dimmed down his flames as Azure took this chance to attack. "Runaega!" An ice lance was shot at CJ who couldn't see the attack coming and seemed completely open. Vincent jumped forward covering CJ's eyes with his arms. "Turn up the heat now!" Vincent yelled as CJ followed orders.

His flames spread out but the ice lance wasn't melting fast enough. Vincent shot his gun shattering it into pieces and the jumped back with CJ in his arms. "That stupid ice wall is going to blind me every time I use my flames. And it's way to dangerous with you to be so close to me with the book." CJ said as he died the flames down once more.

Vincent nodded. "We're going to have to take a different approach to this. Lets try out one of the new spells we learned the other day." Vincent said smiling evilly. CJ looked up at him surprised. He didn't know they had gotten more then one new spell in their fight with Kai and Haley. He was glad they had an ace in the hole though. "Foshield!" CJ grew an afro on top of his head and Vincent looked a bit insulted. Was that it. "CJ what the hell?"

CJ then transformed into his animal form and was covered in a boulder sized ball of fur. "That's more like it then. That afro thing was just stupid!" Vincent said as he read of another spell. "Foku!" CJ's fur then turned into stone causing him to take the form of a large stone boulder. He rolled towards Azure who raised his hands ready to another spell.

"Lashield!" An ice wall came up, but this time CJ was able to smash right through it and still headed for Azure who jumped to the side barely avoiding the boulder like CJ. He headed back for Vincent who pulled his gun out ready to fight.

Vincent fired the gun but Azure kept side stepping to avoid his shots. He wasn't as fast as CJ, but he was still fast. He made note of mamodo's speed before pulling out his bat to swing at Azure. If push came to shove he'd fight the boy himself. Suddenly a large rock wall formed in front of him and Azure jumped back surprised. "I said I won't let you near him!" CJ yelled now back in human form. He slammed his hands on the ground sending a rock up into Azure's chest and causing him to fall back.

Azure rubbed his stomach and got up before CJ decided to attack again. He stumbled but CJ seemed to wait until he got himself together. At least the guinea pig boy wasn't a jerk. "I can tell you aren't a bad person, but your book owner is underhanded and evil. Maybe you should just ditch him or just go home. I'm sure you can't help it but you won't be able to get anywhere with a person so evil." Azure said holding out a hand towards CJ.

The boy turned his head crossing his arms. "Shut up! Vincent can be a jerk, but he's still an okay guy. Don't just write off someone based off of first appearances. Besides, he said he'd help me win the battle. If he's willing to try his best I trust him at least that far." CJ said smiling towards Vincent who looked a bit surprised.

Vincent was silent for a few seconds and then smiled. "Help you win? Who said I would help you do anything? I don't help anyone do anything kid." Vincent asked as CJ and Azure both looked at him surprised. Azure was about to yell at Vincent for such harsh words and CJ didn't exactly know what to say. "I'm going to 'make' you win this battle. It's not an option of trying or doing our best, we're going to win." Vincent said as CJ smiled.

Azure simply looked on but somewhat understood when he saw the smile on CJ. Rika still couldn't forgive Vincent so easily though. Not matter how much his partner stood up for him. "Azure, don't let them get to you. Keep your guard up and stay sharp!" She yelled as Azure nodded his head and turned towards CJ. The two stared off for a moment before CJ ran forward as Azure raised his hands for a spell.

CJ got to him first however and began to unleash a fury of punches on the boy. He ice spells were no doubt dangerous, but in close range he had the advantage. "C'mon Ice man! At least make it a bit of a fight, it's like I'm picking on a weakling here! Can't you throw a punch at least?" CJ asked mockingly.

"I can!" Adella shouted punching CJ from the side and sending him tumbling back. "I don't care weather my book owner is here or not! I won't stand here and watch you beat up on my little!" She shouted as CJ rubbed his cheek. He couldn't believe a girl managed to punch him, and hurt him at that. It was embarrassing.

Vincent laughed as CJ turned to him scowling. "You got knocked over by a girl. That's just pathetic." Vincent said chuckling. Adella seemed to be a little bothered by this comment as she charged at CJ once more. She jumped up and swung down on him but felt something in her way. Vincent had ran forward blocking her blow with a metal bat. "Funny at it is, I won't let you hurt him anymore." Vincent said kicking her back.

She landed next to Azure who helped her up and the two twins were ready to brawl. "The girl is dead weight, so we can use that to our advantage. As for the boy, I'll use your shield and fire spell, so this time he won't be able to blind you again." Vincent said opening his book up.

"Firano!" Adella then shot out a set of flaming arrowed which headed right for Vincent and CJ. CJ stomped on the ground causing a rock wall to block for them, but it was crumbled by the time the arrows had finished with it. Vincent gritted his teeth knowing what this meant. The other book owner was here.

"Yo sis. Looks like your having a bit of trouble." A boy said walking from around the corner. The boy was around 16 and had stood around 1.5 meters or so tall. He had short blue combed fringed hair along with a pair of green eyes, and wore an orange shirt along with a blue vest and a green pants. "Glad I made it here in time. These guys look pretty tough." He said smiling towards Rika.

"Rai! It was about time you made it here already! We've been having a lot of trouble with this guy." Rika said smiling towards the boy.

Vincent balled his fist up angrily. Why was it that so far in every battle he was in, as soon as something went his way, it spiraled back around and went against him again. He wasn't sure what he should do now. He knew that girl must have had fire spell, so form now on his own fire spell could be countered. He had his earth spell but that could barely stand up to those fire based attacks. Now that the sister was here, it was a whole different ball game.

"I guess I don't have a choice anymore. I was going to save this to get back at that red head and the lazy guy, but I guess this one would be more fitting here." Vincent said smiling as he flipped a page over. "Fokai!" CJ suddenly grew blue amour of him and smiled remembering this spell form back home. He could pull something off now with this on his side.

CJ charged at Azure and Adella much quicker then before. The two twins stuck their hands out and took aim at him but he zigzagged across the street making it hard for them to focus on him. "Firaga!" Adella fired a large fire javelin from her hands and aimed it around the area she saw CJ heading. The javelin missed, but the explosion sent CJ flying back. "Azure, get him now!" Adella yelled.

Azure held his hands out as Rika prepared to read a spell, but CJ placed his hands on the ground smirking. Lighting shot up from the ground striking both Azure and Adella. The two screamed and fell back hurt, but not defeated. They quickly got up trying to ignore the pain, but CJ wasn't going to give them a moments rest. He ran forward managing to get a hand on Azure's ankle. "If you move, I'll send lighting directly to his heart and kill him!" CJ said seriously.

Rika and Rai stopped as Adella looked in disbelief. Azure tried to pull away but CJ held on tightly. "You! I thought you were different from that guy, but your just as dirty and underhanded as he is!" Azure yelled still trying to pry CJ off. "D-don't worry about me! His book owner is open so attack him!" He yelled as the others simply stood hoping for someway out of this corner.

CJ was nervous. He knew they probably wouldn't figure it out, but he never could control his lighting enough to aim for someone's heart. If push came to shove he'd shock him and hoped he'd get lucky. But if his sister actually made a move for Vincent, it'd be more complicated then just shocking him. He was fast, but he didn't think he could catch up and block a fire spell at the same time.

Vincent noticed that Adella was putting her hands together and bowing her head. Was she serious praying in the middle of a battle? "Hey little girl! The battle field isn't a place for that stuff! I'm not saying I'm not into religion or anything, but don't you think there's a better time for that?" Vincent asked as Adella kept her head bowed down.

"There is never a wrong time for it! If you truly say your into religion you wouldn't be willing to kill my brother! I don't know how, but I'm sure we'll get out of this, and you'll definitely get what's coming to you!" Adella shouted looking back up towards Vincent who didn't even seemed phased by her words. "Do you have any remorse in you at all, or are you just walking evil?"

Vincent picked his ears looking to CJ and smirking. "If you don't give us both of your books now, we'll kill him. Simply as that. Ether way your going home and I'll never have to see you again, so it's no sweat on my conscious." Vincent said as Adella looked furious. Rika and Rai looked at each other wondering what to do. They surely couldn't hand over the book, but Azure's life was at stake. Rika was especially torn by this.

Adella kept bowing her head praying some solution came. Suddenly both Rai and Rika's books began to glow. Vincent once again looked in disbelief at his opponents wondering how they suddenly got a new spell. Was destiny trying to force him out of this battle or what? Adella smiled and CJ looked at the glowing books amazed. Azure then pulled his foot back managing to shake loose from the distracted CJ's grip. "Antrai Ignarias!" "Scythrias Icicalia!"

Azure formed an Ice lance in his hands as Adella formed to fire dual blades in hers. CJ backed up bracing himself for the oncoming attack. He focused all the lighting in his hands hoping this would be enough to counter the weapons they held. He charged forward trying to lose them. If he was going to win, he had to get in the first blow. He came behind Adella knowing her weapons would be the bigger threat. But before he could she turned blocking his claws.

The lighting protected him from being cut, but she was easily pushing him back. The brown haired mamodo back up only to be met with Azure who swung his ice scythe at him. He ducked barely avoiding the blade and then jumped away from both of them. "Azure, you go for the book owner. I'll hold him here." Adella said charging at CJ who shot lighting at her trying to fend her off.

CJ aimed at Azure but his sister swung at him forcing him to move before he could fire. He tried to think of something to help Vincent, but eh girl before him pinned him down, and he couldn't afford to turn his back. "Come and get me, ice brat." He said pulling out his gun. He took aim but Azure crisscrossed to fast for him to get a good shot. He made his way in front of Vincent who swung managing to pistol whip Azure.

"Ow! That hurt!" Azure said rubbing his head. He then swung his scythe at Vincent intending on hitting the book, but Vincent jumped back causing it to scrap his arm. He winced in pain as Azure moved forward again. This time he'd definitely hit the book and end this.

CJ saw this and then noticed Vincent was clutching the book to his chest. He could tell Vincent was willing to be cut down before he gave up the book. What was he doing? " I said I'm not going to let you hurt him! Get away from him now!" CJ yelled shooting lighting at Adella. She blocked it with her swords, but the force pushed her back giving CJ and opening to run.

Azure swung his scythe aiming to the book, but suddenly felt something hit him in the back. CJ had thrown his whole body into Azure and rammed him into a nearby bush. CJ used all the power he had left and shocked Azure who passed out from the amount of lighting forced into him. CJ smiled towards Vincent knowing he had protected him. "Good job, rodent brat." Vincent said smirking.

CJ walked back towards Vincent's side, but suddenly fell over. He fell to his knees desperately trying and failing to get up. Why did this have to happen now? There was still one of them left, and his body chose now of all times to break down. Vincent looked worried as he made his way over to CJ only to be cut off by Adella. She looked back at Azure making sure he was okay, and then down at CJ. "You've fought harder then anyone would have expected you to. You must really look up to this boy, no matter how horrible he seems to be."

CJ glared at her as she turned to Vincent lifting her sword. "Still, I can't just let someone like you walk around with a mamodo's book. Your rotten to the core and only care about yourself and winning. I won't let you have your way!" Adella said pointing her sword at him. "Give up the book, he can't fight anymore."

"Shut up! don't call him horrible when you don't know anything about him! You think he's so horrible, but your the one attacking him when he doesn't stand a chance again him! Ever since I've been here Vincent had made things interesting and fun, I like being here with him and being his partner! I won't let you cut those times short!" CJ said placing his hands on the ground. He shot lighting through the ground and zapped Adella with everything he had left.

Adella stumbled a few feet as both her and CJ were panting heavily. Vincent was looking confused as ever. Had CJ liked being around him that much. "S-shut up brat! I told you I only care about making you king because it's killing time! Don't think about getting attached to me!" Vincent yelled as the book glowed brighter. CJ could feel more lighting pulsing through his amour.

CJ smiled as he held up his fist ready to fight again. "Heh! Who cares what you think! After I become king, I'll use my power to connect our worlds, and then I'm going to come and bug you every day stupid!" CJ said smiling as he charged at Adella and punched at her. She swung her sword and fire and lighting clashed causing a large explosion.

CJ stumbled back and was caught by Vincent who smirked down at him. "I can already tell you can't move anymore. Lets use this smoke screen to book out of here." Vincent said grabbing CJ and getting up. He moved forward but then fell to his knees. "Crap, I guess those spell took more out of me then expected. I don't think I can move. Take the book and hide somewhere close, I'll meet you there soon-…" Vincent fell over passing out.

The little brown haired mamodo couldn't believe. His hands shook wondering if he should save the book as Vincent told him. He couldn't just leave Vincent behind though. He grabbed Vincent shirt and held the book in his mouth intending to run, but he felt his body quickly tire out. He didn't even have enough strength to carry Vincent, let alone him and the book. "Need some help?" A voice asked.

CJ looked up and saw a figure in front of him holding out their hand. "Who are you?" He asked glaring at the figure who simply giggled in reply.

She bent down holding Vincent up by his arm and held out a hand to CJ. "You could let me get you and the book out of here, or you could play twenty questions and let them catch up." The figure said as she lifted CJ under her arms. CJ would have told her no, but he didn't see any other choices. Vincent would kill him if he knew he was doing something so reckless, but he was cornered_. _

* * *

_**A/N: Yo my peoples! Well, first off I want to explain to you why this update was so long and why my cousin still hasn't updated. My great grandma is in the hospital and they don't think she's gonna pull through. My cousins getting hit real hard by it and he's not really in the mood for writing, so it might be a while until another update from him. **_

_**It's hit me pretty hard to, but my cousin was real close to her, so he's going through a lot right now. Truth be told the one of the only things keeping me together is writing,**__**so I'll still be trying to keep my update up. I hope you guys like this chapter, bet you thought 'you know who' was going to show up didn't ya! Well, NO! I wanted to wait another chapter to introduce 'you know who'. **_

**I don't reallt know I'm saying you know who since i already said it was Teal. Anyhow the person who rescued them wasn't! I bet no one can guess who did help them! And if you can... Shut it! No spoilers! Nah i'm just kidding I don't care. Anyhow Teal will show up in the next chap. Remember to send more OC! Also Read and Review! If you don't, I'll know... Oh yeah, I see things...**


	4. Double Date part 1

Vincent was sore all over his body. Didn't even feel like opening his eyes. He thought back at what happened and quickly remembered his battle with those twins. He couldn't believe he lost to such babies. The boy in particular seemed pathetic. Had it not been for his fear he would have mistaken the little cross dresser for a girl. "Are you okay?" A voice asked concerned. Vincent couldn't make out who the voice was, but it was probably CJ. "Please be okay, I'm sorry I couldn't win Vincent!"

The black haired teen could tell his partner was crying. What a baby. He was only a little tired and here CJ was crying for him not to die. "S-shut up…" Vincent managed to mutter. His forehead felt warm for some reason. Was he sick? He did remember having a bit off a cold the day before, but he didn't take it seriously. He figured if he had wrapped up well enough the cold outside wouldn't get to him. The last thing he remembered was him laying in the snow too exhausted to move.

"Don't worry about him. He'll be okay, he just has a fever is all. Hold still, I have to wrap up those burns and cuts you got kiddo." Another voice said. He truly didn't recognize this one, but it sounded like a girl. He felt a hand over his head and shivered. It was definitely a girl. "Why is he shivering like that? I just touched him…" The voice said still brushing her hands over his head. He kept shivering trying to mumble for her to stop, but his throat was soar.

The hand suddenly stopped and was replaced with something else. Whoever it was had soft skin. He thought it was a girl, but for some reason he didn't feel afraid. His shivering even stopped. "What's with you, are you really going to let this little cold get you down like this." Vincent couldn't make out this voice, but it sounded familiar, and comforting. "Get up already you little baby. I can't believe your still letting girls beat you up." She said chuckling.

Vincent now knew who this was. He turned his head to the side not wanting to see her face yet. Of all people why did she have to be the one to find him. "S-sorry." He mumbled.

CJ looked up at the two girls in front of him. One of them was a teenage girl with blue hair that went down to her waist. CJ couldn't tell what her eyes looked like since she had them closed or narrowed. It reminded him a bit of a fox. She wore a white mini skirt, blue t-shirt, and a white French beret.(One of those French hat things artist wear a lot.) She was the one who rescued them after their battle.

The other was a pale skin, short black haired girl with a single barrette worn in it. She had emerald green eyes, and wore a green long sleeve t-shirt, jean shorts, and fingerless gloves. She was the one pressing her foreheads against Vincent's and the one he saw on that boxing match thing the other day on TV. "C'mon, get up you lazy bum. And what's with the I'm sorry thing? Don't apologize to me for losing. Get up already." Teal said pulling his cheeks.

Vincent tried to ignore her pulling his cheeks then bit his lip annoyed. "Bah! Stop it already! I regret even saying I'm sorry for troubling you anymore since your pulling my cheeks like that. I'm sick, knock it off!" He said crossing her arms and turning over. He pouted as he glanced back up towards her smiling face. "You remembered me after all these years huh? Why'd you come back?" He asked getting right to the point.

She pulled his ear to get his attention and he turned facing her. "You stupid? I came back here because I wanted to see you again. We're still best friends even though it's been a lot of years. You didn't think I forgot about you did I. I mean I wanted to write but…" She blushed trying to find a good excuse. She wasn't going to say what she wanted to, it was to sappy for her to say she missed him and wanted to see in person. "You know…" She asked rubbing the back of her head.

Vincent sat up and sighed as she smiled at him once more. "S-stop sweating the small stuff. It doesn't matter if you didn't write, you were probably busy with boxing or something. Don't worry about it." He said looking down towards the ground. "I-I was going to bring you a necklace or something, but something came up." He said sorry he had started this whole mess. If he hadn't have yelled at those stupid kids none of this would have happened. He wouldn't admit it was a bad thing to do, but he wished he hadn't done it.

Teal hit him on the head and then put a hand on his shoulder sitting beside him. "Bring me a necklace? Your getting even softer then when I left you ya know. Don't worry about bringing some gift just to see me again. Seeing you in one piece is good enough for me." She said as Vincent's face turned red as a beet. He hated when Teal said stupid things like that. He always turned red for some reason.

"So cute! This is like two lovers reuniting for the first time! Are you guys going to share a kiss now, or are you still too shy to go that far yet?" The blue haired girl asked looking at the blushing teens deviously. CJ was smirking as well but he knew better then to say anything aloud. Vincent would tear him apart. "C'mon one little peck at least." the girl taunted.

Teal balled her fist up as the girl backed up raising her hands defensively. "Knock it off Grace! He just woke up and I'm trying to help him get it together. The last thing I need you to be doing is making fun of him as soon as he wakes up!" Teal yelled as she got up digging into her backpack. She then pulled out something and smiled. "Remember this?" She asked pulling out a Kangol hat.

CJ looked up in amazement at the hat as Teal tossed it to Vincent who caught with and spin it on his finger. "Stupid dad. He left this thing when I was like, three. But at least it must have done it's job of helping you remember me. I thought you had forgotten about me awhile ago." He said honestly as he noticed CJ staring at the hat. "Want it rodent brat?" He asked smirking. He slapped the hat down on CJ's head.

Teal looked down at CJ who was smiling and looking at his new hat. She knew exactly who he was, and why he was with Vincent, but she didn't know how to approach the subject without startling him. She took in a deep breath. "How the heck did you end up becoming a book owner?" She yelled as Vincent grew wide eyed. He looked up at her as she suddenly closed her mouth. She didn't mean to make it sound… like that.

Vincent was about to ask how she knew, but Grace answered his question before he could even ask it. "I sensed a large amount of spell power being used, and so I came to seek out the competition. I only recognized you because she keeps a picture of you on her phone as a back round. I could barely tell it was you since you were so much older. I figured she'd be angry at me if I didn't bring you back with me." She said smiling at him.

CJ didn't seem to care about what was going on in front of him. He had known Grace was a mamodo by her scent, but he didn't care as long as they didn't want to fight. But Vincent on the other hand was confused. Did this mean they still had to fight. "Vincent, we don't have to fight or anything! I mean I- Damn it! I should have just kept my mouth shut!" She said holding her head with her hands.

The teen looked up at Teal and patted her shoulders. "Look, it's not your fault okay! Don't sweat the small stuff! We don't have to fight and I don't really want to!" He said trying to reassure her.

She sighed trying to slow down in her thoughts. She wanted them to be happy when they met again, now everything was chaotic and confusing. She wished she would have just stayed quiet about it. "Don't worry about fighting, I'll become king anyway you know. Vincent is going to make me to." CJ said smiling towards Teal who looked at him a bit confused. What did he mean by that. She assumed Vincent had just gotten swept up in it and was trying to just survive. She hadn't thought he had gotten so close to this boy.

But by the way he was so worried about Vincent and even hearing the few times the teen muttered his name worriedly in his sleep, she could tell they were fairly close. "You must have gotten pretty attached to this kid, he must be like your new little brother or something huh?" Teal asked smiling. She could understand. Over the short time they spent together she and Teal grew a sisterly bond as well. Although the girl still annoyed her.

Vincent looked at CJ as the rodent boy crawled on him and hung off his arm. "Yeah right. This kid is more trouble then he's worth. I'm only helping him because I'm bored, he's lucky I didn't ditch him right away." He said as CJ smiled at him. Vincent had a smile on his face as he lifted CJ up into the air.

Teal smiled. She was worried about Vincent after she left, but she could tell he seemed to get along well enough after she left. She then looked at Vincent and realized he was starting to doze off. He fell back passing out once more and losing himself to his exhaustion. "I guess after going through all that while being sick took a toll on him." She said patting his forehead.

"Your not going to kiss him goodnight?" Grace asked smirking. Teal held up her fist cracking her knuckles and Grace chuckled nervously. "I-I was only kidding girl. Take a joke will you." She said trying to calm her partner down.

"CJ, my dad should be here soon, so just make sure this guy is okay until me and Grace get back with the groceries. We were going to go out and buy some, but that's when Grace found you and called me. It'll only be a little while, so don't worry." She said as he slipped on a coat and headed out the door. As soon as she walked out the door her faced flushed red and she went weak at the knees. She hated when Vincent said stupid stuff like that. "T-that idiot." She mumbled as Grace simply giggled.

"You're the strongest girl I know, but as soon as you talk to that boy you seemed so relaxed and giddy. Like a regular girl." Grace commented as Teal's blushed deepened. Part of the reason she had taken Grace's advice in her fashion sense was because she wanted to appear more feminine, but that was only on the outside. Inside she was still the tomboy she had always been. But she broke down around Vincent. She was still a tomboy, but she had a softer aura about her. "He likes you." She said chuckling.

"Shut up." Teal said as they began walking down the side walk.

* * *

Teal made her way through the mall looking for the pharmacy department. It was one of many places she had to stop by. She needed something to help Vincent's fever as well as her fathers medication. She hated going to the mall because she always got lost there. She had a terrible sense of direction. "Where is Grace when you need her?" She mumbled remembering the girl had wondered off saying something about a new outfit.

Grace meanwhile had an arms full of bags and was heading towards the food court. She felt in the mood for ice cream for some reason and was headed for DQ. She reached in her purse pulling out a few dollars seeing no reason to go inside of her wallet. After paying for her blizzard she looked for an open table. "I should have expected this. The food court is always crowded during the evening. I bet it's cause people are during their Christmas shopping to." She said looking around for an open seat.

She then bumped into someone losing her grip on her blizzard. Kai who stumbled back after running into her managed to catch it, but it was upside-down. He waited a few more seconds expecting it to fall, but it never came. "Okay…? Well I guess this isn't a bad thing. It's weird, but not bad." He said handing the drink back to her.

Grace chuckled turning it upside down in her own hand. "It's a blizzard, a DQ blizzard. They like milkshakes, only their made so thick even if you turn them up side down they won't fall. haven't you ever had one before." Grace said looking the boy up and down. She could read him immediately. He had a lazy look in his eyes and she could tell he was probably here with someone. Otherwise he'd be somewhere sleeping.

"I'm not a person for sweets. Sorry about bumping into to you. I thought I was going to have to buy you another one for a second. That would have been troublesome." He said as he begun to walk off. Grace looked at him for a few more seconds. He was okay as far as looks went, but there was something else about him. She grabbed the back of his shirt and pulled him back around to face her.

"Your Toshiro's little brother aren't you? I thought you looked familiar, you have that same dazed and lazy look on your face as he does." She said smirking at him as Kai now wore a worried expression on his face. Did this mean he had to battle or not? "I'm not interested in fighting someone so boring. I'll just let it go for now. See ya." She said beginning to walk off. Kai looked confused but then headed the other way. He wasn't going to argue if he could wiggle his way out of a fight. "Nah, just kidding, I have to take you down now."

Kai turned around barely managing to push her fist to the side. He was surprised at how fast the punch was and was glad he managed to deflect it. He could feel the wind force around the blow and didn't want to be hit by that kind of power. "This is going to be troublesome. Why do I always end up getting dragged into a fight like this. And what's worst is Haley isn't even here. Oh well, at least your book owner seems to be missing to, otherwise you would have finished me off when I was walking away right?" He asked looking to Grace.

She hopped back waving her finger back and forth. "No no, using such a underhanded tactic isn't ladylike. I would have given you a heads up even if Teal-san was here. But that's beside the point. I could take you weather Teal was here or not, so you might as well just give up and take me to your book owner, okay?" She said cheerily which caused Kai to feel a chill up his spine. What was with this girl.

"Get bent." He said preparing to fight. He was hoping he'd only have to exchange a few punches and then get a chance to run, but running now would only result in a chase and ended up getting the mall cops involved. He braced himself as Grace moved forward throwing a few quick jabs. He had to admit, she was fast. But still, compared to the speed displayed in their last battle, this wasn't to bad. He deflected them all knocking her fist away but still keeping his guard up.

As the two went on with their fight a crowd of people sat around watching. They didn't know this was part of some fight of be king, they assumed it was just some fight they could get a few laughs out off. One girl in particular was staring with frown. she was a young girl that looked around six or seven years old and was about 3 feet tall. She had silver hair witch was wrapped in two buns on the side of her head, gray eyes , and black Velcro strapped shoes. She wore a thin brown jacket that covered most of her body, excluding her legs, and the hood of the jacket had bear ears on it. "Derrick-kun, it's Kai. And it looks like he's in trouble." She said looking up to the boy beside him.

He was a teenage boy with black hair and brown eyes. He wore a blue jersey with the number 22 on it, black jeans, white tennis shoes, and a pair of fingerless gloves. He sighed hanging his jacket on the back of his chair. "It wouldn't be very gentlemen if we didn't help a friend in need. Kai-san isn't exactly popular with the ladies I guess." He said getting up. "Lets go give him a hand, Alice-chan." He said as he pulled out a grayish book.

* * *

Teal nervously walked throw a jewelry store wondering what she should use her extra money to buy. She looked over a trey of necklaces and thought of herself wearing such a charm. "I don't know. It's looks really expensive and I was going to bring some candy back for CJ or something. I'll just forget about it." She said turning around. "Besides, it doesn't fit a person like me anyway."

"I think it fits just fine." A voice said a few feet away. Teal turned her head to see Haley smiling at her holding a bag of her own. "I'm not into jewelry or anything like that, but I think it looks just fine on you." She said honestly a Teal smiled at the compliment.

"Thanks, but I probably won't get them. I'm not really into it ether and to be honest I don't think that thick headed guy would notice them even if I did buy them. He's never been one to pay attention to stuff like that." Teal said sighing as he put the necklace back on the trey.

"I get what you mean. I'm only getting this bracelet as a gift to a friend of mine. She's more into this type of stuff then I am so I figured it was worth the trip." Haley said as he held a hand out towards the other teen. "I'm Haley Storm, nice to meet you."

"Teal Greenburg, and it's nice to meet you too." She said shaking Haley's hand. The two smiled towards each other until Teal heard a loud crash that sounded like it was quite a distance as well. She looked towards where she heard the crash come from and hoped it wasn't what she thought it was. She knew Grace had a way of shooting her mouth off. "Sorry, I have to go!" Teal yelled.

"Me too!" Haley said as they both sprinted off in the same direction. It took them only a few moments to realize they were headed in the same direction. Haley thought Teal was headed for an exit at first, but after awhile she looked and saw they had run past at least three of them. "Um, Teal. I don't know where your headed but I can guarantee you there's some dangerous stuff happening up ahead, maybe you should go." She warned as Teal looked towards her.

"I-I know it's dangerous up ahead. You aren't thinking off going to check it out are you? It could be a lot more then you expected. I just… I'm going to the food court to check on my little sister is all." She said trying to convince Haley to head for the nearest exit. "You should really leave, things are going to get dangerous you know. I don't want you getting hurt while I'm trying to get my sister."

Haley waved her hand. "No, I'm going after my brother in the food court as well. I just want to make surer he's okay. I'm sure your sister has ran out by now, you really should head for an exit. My brothers a lazy idiot so he wouldn't leave even if they told him to." She said only half lying. Kai was indeed lazy after all.

As they both entered the food court they saw something that amazed them both. Grace was dodging both Kai and a small silver haired girl. She moved gracefully managing to avoid them but Teal had a knot in her throat after seeing what had happened next. A boy was standing to the side holding a book which was glowing brightly. "Kironu!" The silver haired girl blasted a spiraling silver energy form her hands and nearly hit Grace who back flipped out of the way.

"Damn it!" Haley and Teal yelled at the same time. They both looked at each other realizing they were both reaching for their bags and had both half pulled out their books. "Your a book owner?" They both yelled at the same time once again.

They jumped away from each other pulling out their books. No wonder neither of them was in a hurry to leave. Haley looked over noticing Derrick and Alice were there. At least they had numbers in their favor. Derrick saw them and ran over waving a hand at Haley. "Yo, Storm. We found Kai dealing with some mamodo trouble so we decided to help him out. Good thing her book owner isn't here." He said smirking and giving her a thumbs up.

Teal punched Derrick in the face sending him back and causing blood to spill from his nose. That was one book owner down at least. "Akiro!" Grace's hands turned into large hammers Alice turned after hearing the spell and was shocked to see Derrick on the floor. "Derrick-kun!" She shouted turning to run towards him. She suddenly felt Kai scoop her up and jump out of the way. Grace had nearly smashed her into a pancake. "T-thank you Kai-kun." She said looking at the large hole in the ground.

"Derrick will be fine. That girl only caught him off guard and Haley is over there to protect him as well. We need to focus on taking this girl down." Kai said as he dropped Alice on her feet and ran forward. Alice nodded and followed him in to attack. She knew Derrick would be alright, she trusted Haley enough to protect him if he wasn't.

Derrick rubbed his nose looking up at Teal who was exchanging punches with Haley. "I guess even the prettiest roses have their thorns. You two included." He said as both the girls stopped suddenly blushing.

"Shut up! This isn't the time for this Runners!" Haley said trying to hide her flushing cheeks.

"C-cute. I've never really been called that by anyone except my dad before." She said brushing her hair back slightly. She was a bit eloped in the thought that someone that she was cute. She would have preferred it be Vincent, but it was still nice.

Haley wondered if she should try to take the book now, but decided that wouldn't really be the right thing to do. Not after what Derrick did. Instead she took the chance to get off a spell. "Chisokumera!" Kai's speed shot up as he now ran circles around Grace. She tried to guess where he would strike from, but he was much to fast. He suddenly came behind her grabbed her arms and holding her. "Alice, attack now!" He shouted.

Grace smiled as she lifted her foot, swung back, and hit Kai right between the legs. The teen fell to his knees moaning in pain as Grace turned around smirking at him. "No matter how quick you are, all men have the same weaknesses. And all of yours happens to be between your legs." She said as Kai looked up at her with a strong look of annoyance in his eyes. He usually could care less about a battle, but he was actually determined to beat this annoying girl.

Alice suddenly jumped on Grace back knocking her off balance. Alice was a bit nervous about jumping on this girls back. She couldn't use her spells at this close range, and she had seen how strong and relentless Grace was towards Kai. She was having seconds thoughts about this now. "K-Kai-san! Please hurry up and help me out! I'm scared to be honest with you!" Alice said as Grace reached behind her. Alice kicked her in the back and knocked her forward.

Grace caught her balance and then turned back around towards Alice who was still wearing a determined, but nervous smile on her face. "What a cute little girl. Tell me something, did you do that to your hair yourself or was It someone else, I can't imagine you could twist up that shiny silk like hair by yourself at your age." She said as Alice stopped for a moment. Alice touched her hair feeling it for a second. Usually people referred to it as grey, not silver. She felt a bit of pride swell up.

Suddenly Grace jumped forward grabbing Alice's ankle. She threw the girl as far as she could, which just happened to be the nearest hotdog stand. "Alice-chan!" Derrick yelled balling his fist up. He looked towards Teal with fury. Girl or not, he had to do something. Even if it meant knocking her out. He ran towards her hoping she wouldn't put up to much of a struggle, but suddenly a bat flew in front of him causing him to stop right in his tracks.

A figure jumped down landing on one of the nearby tables. As the others looked up they saw Vincent who was dripping snot from his nose. He was wrapped up in his coat and a scarf. "Why the hell would all for you debases start a fight here of all places! The most public place in the whole damn city is not a place to start a god damned fight for the king of demons!" Vincent yelled crossing his arms and looking down at them all angrily.

Teal looked up smiling as Derrick looked confused. Haley however knew this was a bad thing for her and Derrick. The numbers were even now, and Grace was already giving them trouble. "You can't have a battle for king without the winner being here no can you?" CJ asked as he hopped down form the second floor. He was already wearing his lighting amour, but he seemed even more charged up then eh usually did.

"We stopped by a couple of electronic stores since me being sick might mess with out spell power. We also drained all the power of the security room, and I took all the tapes just to be safe." Vincent said smirking to Teal. "And blue haired girl whose name escapes me, I know it's in most of your genders nature to be indecisive and foolish, but try not to get into stupid fights like this one. You can have ran!"

Both Haley, Alice, and Grace looked insulted. "Are you saying we're foolish just because we're girls?" Alice yelled pouting angrily.

CJ jumped in front of her smiling as he tapped her on the forehead. "That's the idea grandma." He said lifting up a strand of her grey hair. "Why is your hair all grey like that. It makes you look like an old lady." He then leaned in closer noticing her eyes were also grey. "Even your eyes are grey, it looks really weird you know."

Alice looked at him for a few more second before punching forward with all her might. "H-hey! My hair is not grey, it's silver! Silver!" She yelled angrily. She stomped her foot on the floor as CJ simply stuck his tongue out teasingly.

He then felt Grace's hand on his head. "Don't make fun of her CJ-kun, I think she's a very pretty girl." Grace said as CJ scratched his head.

"She's okay, but her hair looks all grey without any light outside. Like she's a grandma. I guess she smells pretty nice though." CJ said looking over Alice.

The silver haired girl blushed and glared at the two. They were talking like she wasn't even here. Kai got up and walked beside Alice wearing an angry scowl on his face. He pointed at Grace and spoke. "You have annoyed me beyond all reason. Haley, for once in my life I'm slightly motivated… who am I kidding I'm still not motivated. We're going to end up fighting anyway so we might as well get it on." He said sighing.

Haley slapped her forehead as Derrick let out a chuckle. Vincent hopped down next to Teal ready for battle. "Vincent, these guys are a case of speed and power. The little girl is definitely the hard hitter and that skinny guy is fast. We have to-"

"I've fought Kai before, I have a plan that will definitely work against them, but I need your help to pull it off while that silver haired brat is here. Fill me in on her abilities' and I'll handle the rest." He said putting a hand on Teal's shoulder. He stepped in front of her taking the lead of the situation. "Besides, you already used up a whole bunch of spell power. CJ, Blue haired girl, listen to what I say!" Vincent said as CJ and Grace nodded.

Teal looked up a bit surprised at Vincent. She didn't know he had changed so much over the past couple of years. She wondered what happened to the crying little boy she had left behind. Vincent was now more assertive and take charge then he was before. In fact he hadn't shed a tear since she had got back. She could tell it was still the Vincent, but he was just a little different. She smiled at him and nodded. "Lets do this!"

Haley and Derrick looked towards each other and then back at their partners. "Don't worry Haley-san, I'll defiantly protect you if something happens." He said smiling towards the red head.

"Shut up Runners. If anyone needs to be protected, it's you. Seems like those two are pretty close, and he might come after you if you hit on her again." Haley said with a smirk.

"Hey, now is not the time to be discussing love life here. We have a battle if you didn't notice." Kai said not taking his eyes of Grace or CJ.

"Kai, please take the girl. I want to beat up the rodent kid!" She said glaring as CJ who wore a mischievous smirk on his face.

* * *

**A/N: I didn't actually plan for this chapter to be so long, I'm extending the actual battle until the next Chapta! Grace loves bothering people, and she's also good at reading people and using it again them. A compliment here, a distraction there, and she had herself an opening! Anyhow I'll try to make the next chapter regular sized. I don't have much planned for it except for the battle, so it might even be shorter. Forgive your Senpai… Or Else! **


	5. Double Date part 2

Vincent looked at Haley with detain. He remembered how much trouble she had given him before, and it only brought back annoying memories. He glared daggers at her until Derrick stepped in front of him blocking her view. "Excuse me, but I think your bothering the lady. You might want to look somewhere else before she flips out. When Haley gets angry it's a horrible, horrible thing you know." Derrick said retuning Vincent's cold glare back at him. Haley looked at Derrick with an eyebrow raised. She wasn't that bad when she got angry was she?

Vincent smirked evilly as he pointed towards Derrick and Haley. "Last time I let you guys go, but this time I'm going to finish what I started. I might as well take out that grey hair brat too." He said as Alice flinched for a second. She regained herself still keeping an eye on Grace and CJ. "I'm not going to hold anything back, I'm pulling out all the aces on this one baby." He added as he put up his guard. He rushed towards Derrick and Haley who looked surprised. He was going to fight them as well?

Derrick was about to step forward but Haley pulled him back and then jumped forward. "He's too strong for you Derrick! This isn't the time for some manly thing, he's really dangerous!" She said as he moved forward lifting his knee. She blocked it but felt a large amount of power behind it. She then kicked at his head, but he lifted his arm blocking it. "You a Muay thai user? I assumed you were some regular street brawler." She said a bit impressed.

"I'm glad I didn't come out using my bat first, against a karate user it'd be useless." He said smirking. This was interesting. She was the first person in a while to actually block his rising knee. "But still, I've been drilled in this since I was born, so you don't stand a chance. Khao Trong!" He moved forward once again aiming his knee at her head. She leaned back and moved to the side avoiding him completely.

She smiled at him. "Your half right. I know Judo too. But it was still a good guess." She said as she moved forward placing her foot behind Vincent's. She then thrust her palm forward with her hand and stuck him in the face. He fell back with his head slamming to the floor. Haley was surprised. That seemed pretty easy.

Suddenly Vincent rose up lifting his fist in the air. He hit Haley right in the stomach with an upper cut. "Mat Soeil!" Haley fell back grabbing her stomach as Vincent smiled to himself. "Your pretty strong, I'll give you that. But you let your guard down way to easily. Did you think I'd fall out after one blow to the head?" He asked smirking towards her.

She then used her legs to grab one of Vincent's and then spun on her side hurling to him the ground as well. Vincent scowled as he quickly jumped back up to his feet, Haley did the same. The two were still for a second, but then charged unleashing a series of blows on each other. Derrick couldn't tell who was hitting who. They were moving to fast for him. "Wow, she's right he is dangerous… but then again, so is she." He said a little worried.

"Derrick-kun!" Alice yelled as she slid back holding her guard up. Grace was pushing her back and she didn't know how much longer she could keep blocking her. The teen was as strong as she was but also had technique going her way was well. Her punches were quick and fast, without losing any power to them. Alice was a slugger. She couldn't swing as fast, but she was powerful when she hit. She couldn't get in a hit with this girl as her opponent.

Derrick saw this and quickly opened his book. "Kironu!" Alice held her hands out shooting another silver spiraling blast from her hands before Grace elegantly dodged the attack. She moved as if she were a ballerina, she was quick, nimble, and graceful. It surprised Alice that such a person held so much power behind her fist. "This ought to be easy enough, but I wonder how CJ is fairing with that guy." She said turning her head to looked over at them.

They were going back and forth at each other. Alice saw Grace looking and took the chance to charge. She jumped up and punched forward but Grace caught her hand and turned her head with a smile. "A sneak attack, I can't say I'm not impressed. I didn't think you'd use such a tactic. But your still to slow to keep up with me, little girl." She said throwing the silver haired child into the Taco Bell sign. Alice fell to the ground but quickly got up ready to fight again.

CJ and Kai couldn't seem to land any decisive blows on each other. Kai's speed spell was still in effect, and CJ's lighting amour was giving him an extra speed boost. CJ was a bit faster, but Kai was able to dodge or react to any attack the young boy had thrown at him. The brown haired boy placed his hands on the ground and then lighting came up from the floor shocking Kai. He was about to fall back but CJ jumped on his shoulder placing a fist on each side of his head. He then rubbed his knuckles and shot lighting through them. "Electric nuggie!" He shouted smiling.

Kai stumbled back for a few seconds. That extra charge CJ got before coming here seemed to be working. Kai was dazed for a few seconds, but then grabbed the boy who was piggy backing him and slammed him to the ground. He stepped on CJ's stomach and didn't move his foot. "Stay here kid. I don't feel like fighting, and Haley seems busy, so I'm going to just hold you here." He said as CJ grabbed his ankle. "Aw cra-"

CJ shocked Kei's leg and he fell back as if hit by a taser. His body was shaking, he looked like he was having a heart attack, and CJ smiled laughing at the site. He moved forward to finish Kai off, but suddenly he felt a shock pulse through is body. He fell to the ground now in the same state as Kai. After a few seconds of uncontrollable shaking the two got up breathing heavily. "What the heck? How did I get shocked?" CJ said a little worried. Would that happen again?

"Hah! All that excess power your storing within your body is too much for a kids to hold. It's trying to get out, and since it can't it's just going off inside of you. Your partner's plan back fired, his sickness didn't affect you at all." Kai said getting up as he rubbed the back of his neck.

CJ suddenly ran forward punching Kai in the shin. "So what! I still have a spell active and all you have is a speed spell. Your partner is to busy to read any spells, so you can't even attack-" Kai hit CJ with the nearest chair he could find knocking him face first. "OW!"

Kai looked down and saw CJ getting up and wiping tears from his eyes. "Are you crying?" He asked bluntly.

"Yes I'm crying! You hit me with a chair!" He said with a cracking voice. He rubbed his head and looked at Kai who just shrugged his shoulder. He had to do something to defend himself, and that was just the quickest thing that came to his mind. CJ then lifted his fist as lighting sparked in it. "Say, I just thought of something. You said all the power in me is just trying to get out. So if I up the amount of lighting I use against you, I shouldn't get shocked again." He said as Kai looked a little worried.

CJ lifted his hand and then flung it forward bringing down a massive amount of lighting down on Kai who was nowhere to be seen in the destruction. CJ caused a large crater in the middle of the food court, but when he looked in it Kai was nowhere to be found. "You little devil. You almost turned me into French toast." He said scowling as he crawled from under a nearby table.

Kai had managed to jump but had fell short, and rolled the rest of the way. He barely made it from underneath the lighting, and his left jacket sleeve was fried. He tossed it off now in his normal clothes. He'd be cold on the way home, but he was still able to fight. CJ stomped his foot on the ground. "No fair! You can't move out of the way! You hit me with the chair so I get a free shot!" CJ shouted pouting.

"Like hell you do! You were going to kill me with that free shot! And this isn't a game of bloody knuckles, it's a fight! I never said anything about you getting a free shot!" Kai shouted back. CJ stuck his tongue out. Kai moved forward but CJ then stuck his hand out. Kai prepared to dodge, but CJ simply wore a smirk on his face. "If you dodge, then your book owner will get hit, she's right behind you, you know." He said smiling evilly.

Kai looked behind form the corner of his eye and saw he was right. Vincent and Haley were right behind him. Although they were a distance away, one of CJ's lighting bolts could move much faster then he could warn them. And even if they had seen it and dodged, the explosion form the blast would surely get them. "Your book owner is right behind me, I don't think you would risk that." Kai said still keeping his guard up. He was prepared to charge at any time.

"So. No one is allowed to burn their own book, and Vincent is a tough guy, he'll be fine even if he is sick. Haley and your book on the other hand, will be blasted to smithereens." CJ said smirking at him.

Kai stared down with CJ. Did he really have it in him to blast his own book owner, or was he just bluffing since he was in a tight spot. If Kai attacked now and CJ was bluffing, then he could finish CJ and end this stupid fight, but if he wasn't then Haley could be harmed, and he wouldn't allow that. "I think… your lying." Kai said. "I've seen how you and your partner get along, even he isn't that crazy." Kai concluded.

"Your right, I am lying. I was just stalling to catch you in my trap." CJ said as he lifted his other hand and held them both in the air. Kai tried to move but both of his feet were stuck. He couldn't move them. "While you were standing there, I magnetized your feet to the ground. My hands aren't the only parts of my body that can shoot out lighting. I can emit lighting or fire, from any part of my body when using those spells." He said as Kai grew wide eyed.

He looked down and saw a sparks of electricity around his feet, and a small streak was connected to CJ's feet. He was stuck. "Didn't you think it was weird that we knew about this whole battle, but charged in head first from the start. You also should have got it when Vincent said he went to the control and security rooms." CJ said as he looked up towards the ceiling.

"What do you mean?" Kai asked gritting his teeth at the boy.

Haley looked over and saw Kai wasn't moving. She also saw CJ sticking his hands up in the air. She wondered what was wrong. "Strategy, success." Vincent said letting a wide and evil smile come across his face. "He's stuck there, and about to be fried. On my way here, when I went into the control room to steal the security tapes, I rewired the electricity in the building. You didn't noticed it because I only took power from the 1st, 3rd, and 4th floor."

"But the other thing you didn't notice was that a signal light in the food court was shut off. Because we rewired the power to that light, and it blew out. Still, the electricity is still flowing through the volts, and I don't have to have lighting, or electricity, in my body to control it." CJ said proudly. "And the light that we rigged up is…"

"That one right above!" CJ and Vincent both finished as Haley and Kai looked up with shocked looks on their faces. Kai looked up and saw that the bulb in the light had cracked, but could see smoke and a few sparks flying from it. He cursed as he lifted his hands up hoping Haley would see and fire spell. "It's too late!" Vincent and CJ once again yelled in unison.

CJ brought his hands down as a enormous amount of lighting came towards Kai. "Kazesaimon!" Kai used his arms to fire wind slashes at the oncoming lighting, but they only held them off for a second before it came down on Kai causing a bright light to appear which blinded everyone. After the light dimmed down Haley saw a huge crater in the ground. "Kai! Oh no, Kai!" Haley yelled as she rushed forward to check on her partner as Vincent smiled. His plan had worked.

CJ was smiling as well until he felt a pair of eyes glaring at him. He turned to see Alice who seemed furious. Her eyes were glowing silver and she had her fist balled up tightly. CJ prepared for the worst. This girl wasn't near his speed, but her power might be troublesome. As Alice headed towards him Grace suddenly stepped in front cutting her off. "We haven't finished our little battle. Just because their done doesn't mean you can skip to the next level you know." She said

Alice stomped forward not even bothering to stop at the sight of her enemy. She looked up as Grace still her ground. "Move!" Alice demanded lifting her fist. Grace still didn't move and swung her fist forward, but Grace caught it in her palm. Alice looked up surprised she was able to catch her fist so easily.

"I told you, you should have been more careful, little girl." She said as she suddenly threw Alice to the side. She hit the ground hard ands then slide a few feet forward. She couldn't land a single blow on this girl. Alice looked up looking at Grace and then at Kai who was knocked out cold. She balled her fist up biting her lip angrily. Why couldn't she do anything to help! She fought ot hold her tears back. Suddenly she felt a hand on her head. "Stop crying, we're not going to burn your books."

Alice looked up surprised as did CJ. "Whoa! No way we're going to just let them leave, this is twice I've gotten in a fight with this guy! No way I'm letting him go!" Vincent yelled pointing at Kai and Haley who was kneeling by him and scowling. Suddenly Teal came behind him and grabbed his ear. "Ow! What's with you! We can't just let them go!" Vincent yelled looking up to her.

She pulled him back and then looked to Haley. "I don't know how this stupid fight started, but to be honest I just want it to end. And besides, look." She said pointing up to the window. There were police lights everywhere outside. They even saw a helicopter shining through the ceiling windows. "If we don't get out of here they'll be on us in no time. Then what'll we tell them?" Teal asked looking to Vincent who was scowling.

"We blast them into-"

Grace grabbed onto CJ's head and lifted him in front of Alice. "Before we go, apologize to her for calling her hair grey. You're a gentlemen, you shouldn't go making fun of little girls you know." She said as CJ crossed his arms looking down at her.

"Screw you…" He said bitterly. Grace shook his head and stopped as CJ tried to get himself together. "Alright! I'm sorry for calling you grey haired." He said as Grace dropped him to the ground. He scurried over to his partner and jump on his shoulders.

"Alright, we might as well get out of here. Hey red head, help me lift up that wind bastard. Normally I'd leave you here to rot, but since the police would arrest you I don't want to ratting me out." Vincent said as he grabbed Kai's right arm. Haley looked at him surprised but then quickly grabbed Kai left arm. They lifted him to his feet and began dragging him towards the exit.

"Can you walk okay. I didn't hurt you to badly did I?" Grace asked as Alice looked back up towards the teen. Derrick suddenly lifted her up in his arms and looked over her. "Lucky, you get a cute boy to carry you around." Grace said crossing her arms and pouting.

Derrick smiled at her but Alice then pulled his shirt getting his attention. They had to get out of here, they didn't have time for Derrick to flirt around. He ran towards the exit as Haley kept her eye on Derrick. There was no way the police would believe their story, and he knew that. So why help them get out of here? She could see him deciding not to burn the books, but why help them escape. "Your not such a bad guy after all. You know that?" She said smiling towards him.

Vincent looked at her for a second, then scowled. "Who asked you." He said rudely as he kept moving forward. Haley simply smiled and then looked down at Kai.

"You okay Kai?" She asked as she saw him shaking his head.

"As soon as I can move, I'm going to kick that kid in the throat." He said bitterly.

CJ heard this and felt a slight shiver up his spine. He had to admit, when he defeated Kai, he was cheating in a sense. He didn't know if he could win as easily without heaving some boost to his powers like just now. "I'll take you on anytime!" He shouted looking down towards Kai. He then felt Vincent pull him back by his shirt.

He looked around the corner and saw police sirens going off. "The whole mall is surrounded. We're pretty much dead." Derrick said as he turned to head a different way. "Guys, maybe if we can head to a parking garage we can find a way to escape from there!" Derrick said beginning to head out.

"No, that's the worst thing to do. The police are most likely entering through there first. They always send a crew in through the garage to scout out before they bust through the front, just in case there are any hostages or injured people." Vincent said as he pulled out a shopping kart from nearby. He filled it with fire works before taking out a match. "But this, ought be a good enough distraction for them." He said as he tossed the match in the kart and kicked it.

Haley was surprised at the power the boy held. He kicked the cart to hard it smashed right through the glass door and right into the police blockade. When it blew the police opened fire. They couldn't see a target to the darkness outside. They had been fighting a little longer then they had anticipated. "Wow, it's night time already. They must have not known we were black or else they would have had us in cuffs by now." Vincent said glaring. He turned to the others who were staring at him. Except Derrick who was nodding in agreement. "Oh, I forgot this was Japan."

He then turned and headed for the back movie theater. They could use the emergency exits to their advantage. The police probably didn't have to much man power to guard such small escape routes, and even more would be focused towards their distraction. He ran into one of the theaters and then saw to the side towards the exit. "Bring the lazy guy through here, it might be our only chance."

Haley nodded as she helped Kai through the door. "Next time we'll have a fair fight you know. And you won't have any way to cheat your way out of it. I think that's why you didn't want to burn the book or leave us." She said as Vincent simply scowled.

"I only did it so I could get another chance to examine the book. Don't think I'm taking pity on you or any mushy crap like that." He snapped back. He may have been helping them, but he didn't want make it come across like they were friends or something. He only used that trick on Kai to make sure he won. He couldn't afford to hold back anything back as long as Teal was with him.

He then felt Teal grab onto his arm. Her grip was rather tight, but he didn't take much mind to it. "Stop being so friendly with the enemy and lets get out of here already." Teal said glaring at Vincent. He was a little nervous and weary of her stare. She seemed a bit annoyed at him. Haley and Grace on the other hand knew jealously when they saw it. Haley shook her head no towards Teal who got the message and lightened up her grip. If Vincent wasn't so dense she would have thought something was up.

"Are you okay? You seemed angry at me for some reason. I know I used kind of a cheap shot back there, but are you really mad about that. I won after all didn't I?" Vincent said looking towards her. She smiled shaking her head no, and that was enough to convince him nothing was wrong.

As they moved out they saw there were quite a few police officers outside, but the weird thing was, they were all knocked out. What happened? Haley was about to ask what was going on, but Vincent grabbed Teal's wrist and scooped CJ up under his arm. "No time for questions! Just be thankful and lets go!" He said as he pulled Teal along. Grace went after them a little insulted he didn't take her along as well. What was she? Chop liver?

Haley and Derrick soon followed, both of them dragging their individual partners along. From a nearby roof top a long haired figure watched. It was a black women with brown eyes, long flowing black hair, a black tank top and grey pants on. She was barefoot despite the weather being so cold. She also had on a traditional Muay Thai headband and bandages around her hands. She smiled as she watched the group move out. "I'm glad even though I was out, he grew up as a good boy. Now, so something interesting to your mama, Vincent-kun." She said smiling happily.

* * *

Vincent sat at home around the dinner table in the living room. Teal sat beside him bandaging up the bruises he had gotten while trading blows with Haley. She couldn't believe that the girl was so strong she could butt heads with even Vincent. "Hold still." She said as she put a wrapped a bandage around his wrist. He winced as Teal shook her head at him. "I told you to stay still didn't I? Don't get angry at me." She said as Vincent bit his lip.

"It's not the bandaging that I'm angry about. I'm just sitting here wondering, why the hell did these bastards follow us home!" Vincent yelled as he looked across the table at Haley, Derrick, Alice and Kai who were all enjoying the meals that should have been his leftovers for tomorrow.

"Thank you for the meal Mrs. Heart. I haven't had fried chicken in a while, and they don't have a lot of fast food places over here." Derrick said as Vincent's grandmother smiled happily. She only got lip from Vincent whenever she cooked. "Oh, and could you keep the cursing down. I don't like people cursing around Alice, you know." He said as Vincent looked surprised.

"O-oh! Right, right. There's a little kid in the room so- like Hell I'll stop cursing! This is my house damn it!" He yelled realizing they were intruding in his home.

Suddenly his grandmother hit him over the head. "Be quiet. Be thankful there are people who even want to come visit you!" She scolded as Vincent rubbed the back of his head. "I am so glad Vincent had actually made friends after being by himself so long. All he did was mop and whine, so I was worried he'd be alone for the rest of his life. And of course it's nice to see you to Teal, please take care of my idiot grandson." She said Teal smiled. She always had a liking for Teal, not wanting to scare away Vincent's only friend.

Grace came out of the kitchen carrying a trey of tea. She passed a cup to everyone who quickly took a sip wanting to warm up from the cold weather. "I hate tea. I'll make some hot chocolate later." Vincent said as he slid his cup over to CJ who drunk both his own and the one passed to him. He felt warmer already, then realized her burnt his tongue and ran to the kitchen to rub an ice cube on his tongue.

Vincent got up and then turned towards his grandmother. "Putting these guys aside, I need to ask you something really important." He said as he grandmother looked towards him a bit curious. He usually never asked her for anything. He was too prideful for that. "I need to continue my training to get stronger, so when I get home from school tomorrow I need you to pick up from where we left off. I-if that's okay." He said looking down towards the ground. He expected a big fat no, after the way he ditched his training last time.

He then felt her pat him on the head. "If your going to ask me something, look me in the face and ask me like a man you stupid grandson." She said as Vincent grew wide eyed. He looked up at her a bit surprised to see her smirking at him. "Just because your rusty doesn't mean I'm going to take it any easier on you, got it!" She said poking him in the forehead.

He then heard Haley get up from her seat with a serious look on her face. "Excuse me, I know your teaching him Muay Thai and not Karate or Judo, but I'd also like to learn and get stronger in any way I can." She said bowing her head. "Please teach me whatever you know about Karate or Judo, someone like you must know some advanced moves in other martial arts." She said as Vincent scowled.

"I dabble in a lot of martial arts. I can help you with what I know, but your basic training will be just like his. And I won't make it any easier just because you're a girl." She said making sure Haley knew what she was getting into. The red head nodded as CJ got up walking beside her.

"My too! I want to learn whatever Vincent is learning!" CJ yelled with a determined look on his face. "I want to get stronger! That way I can become king, and then we'll be able to play together every day! Right Vincent!" He shouted with a wide smile.

Vincent chuckled as he took a seat on the sofa. "I only said I would make you king brat. After that, so whatever you want." He said plainly. "But, I guess it wouldn't be to much of a bother having you over." He admitted as CJ's smile grew even wider. He jumped on Vincent's stomach with enough force to knock out a regular person. "Hey! That hurt you little nimrod.!" He shouted as the two began wrestling.

Kai looked up at Haley who was laughing at the sigh of the two fighting. "Hey, Haley. Why did you want to train with that old lady anyway. Book owners don't have to fight, so I would have thought you'd just volunteer me." He said rubbing the back of his head.

She sat down beside him smiling. "Are you kidding me. I'm not the type of person to just sit back and let others take action like you are, I want to get stronger too. No matter how strong you are, if I don't get stronger as well I wouldn't be able to make you become king, right?" She asked as Kai scowled.

"Whatever." He answered laying his head back.

Alice looked at the group and then lowered her head. She wanted to become stronger too, but martial arts wasn't exactly her style. "You'll get stronger too, Alice-chan. Don't worry about it." Derrick said warmly as he patted her on the head. "Your stubborn like me, so even if it takes a little longer, you'll most definitely find a way to get way stronger." He said smiling. Alice smiled back at him as Grace simply watched.

"Next time, I'll definitely defeat you one on one, and without any tricks up my sleeve!" CJ yelled pointing at Kai who was still staring at the TV.

"Whatever kid." Kai answered with a slight smirk. "Next time, I won't be so easy on you though."

* * *

After about an hour all the book owners agreed to leave on even terms, and without anymore fighting. They also agreed to leave Vincent house alone and not attack. Vincent figured he could trust them since they believed in honor and such, but rather then them never returning again as Vincent demanded, they agreed to come over and visit like his grandmother requested of them. "Thanks for the chicken again! I'll come visit-"

"Go die!" Vincent yelled slamming the door on them. His grandmother then chopped him in the back of the head. He turned and faced the little old women along with CJ. He remembered all the crap he had taken during his training long ago and braced himself. There were going to be changes, for the worst, around here.

* * *

**A/N: Man! I Feel good to get this chapter wrapped up. I tried to make it a little longer since the fight scene was cut in half in the last one. Anyway, as much as I wish I could sya it was school work that kept me busy it wasn't. My Grandma passed away yesterday, and it's pretty much getting everyone a little down. Iron-Arm-V wanted me to say that he's sorry for the long update, and he's not giving up on the story. Anyway, being all sad and crying about it won't do anything! We're both trying to keep our heads up, cause she told us before, even if something happens to her to keep on living! Peace to ya!**


	6. Fake Fronts

"I want to go to the park!" CJ yelled angrily as he pulled on Vincent's hair. The older teen didn't seem to respond, or even notice for that matter. He simply kept on walking not giving him a moments notice to his partner. "I know you can here me Vincent! We've been training all day, and I'm tired. I want to go to the park and play!" He yelled pouting as he kept on pulling on the teens hair. He was determined to get to the park one way or another.

"If your tired you shouldn't have the energy to go and play. Stop whining before I drop kick you into the ground." Vincent said coldly as he lifted CJ off his shoulders. He dropped him on the ground but held his hand as they crossed the street. He didn't need the little kid getting hit by a car on his way across the street. Vincent made it past the cross walk and CJ lit up when he saw they were headed into the park. "I just felt like coming here. I didn't do it because of your whining you know." Vincent said scowling.

CJ let go of his hand and ran off towards the playground ready to play. He headed towards the monkey bars and jumped up only to run right into someone. "Hey, watch where your-" CJ stopped when he saw who was before him. Alice was laying down on the ground rubbing her head. The boy immediately scowled as he saw the silver haired girl before him. "It's you!"

Alice looked up and frowned upon seeing him as well. She got up dusting herself off and then placed her hands on her hips leaning towards him. "My name isn't you! It's Alice! And don't think I'm going to apologize when it was you who bumped into me!" She said bluntly as she turned to walk away.

"Oh, yeah I should apologize. Sorry, Oba-chan." He said as Alice suddenly stopped slowly turning back towards him. CJ was snickering as Alice balled her fist up and tried to keep down her swelling anger. This boy infuriated her to no end. "Oh, did I make you angry Oba-chan. Sorry, people your age shouldn't be getting so angry. It wears your heart out. Not to mention you'll get more grey hairs-"

At this point Alice had punched him right in the nose. He slid back grabbing his nose and then looked up to see Vincent laughing at him. He scowled as he got up facing Alice. He was more then ready to fight her, but Vincent lifted him by the back of his shirt. "Don't even think about starting some fight right now. At some point or another we'll fight her and that pretty boy to, but today ain't that day." Vincent said as he glared at CJ letting him know he was serious.

CJ looked back towards Alice who was sticking her tongue out teasingly. She wasn't sorry about what she did in the least. He deserved it. "Alice-chan. What's up with your temper lately? That's the first time I've ever seen you haul off and hit someone like that. Your not taking after me are you? I think Haley-san would be mad if you were. Then again you haven't been flirting with anyone, so I should be good." Derrick said walking up from behind.

Derrick and Vincent stared each other down for a second before Vincent scowled. "Don't think I don't want to fight because of that Haley girl. I just don't feel like it right now. If you had run across me any other time I would have had your book up in flames by now." Vincent stated point blank as he turned around carrying CJ with him. "C'mon since we got no business here we might as well head home." Vincent said starting to walk off.

"Derrick-kun, look over there." Alice said pointing over towards a stage set up in the middle of the park. Over the stage was a sign that read 'Amazing Silvers Magic show.' She looked over curiously when she had read her last name. Had her brother become a magician while he was in the human world. "Nii-sama is into magic now? He couldn't even pull a rabbit out of a hat." She said as she walked towards the stage.

"You have a big brother. So there is a grandpa to match the grandma in the family too." CJ said with a smirk. Vincent slapped him on the back of the head. This was serious. If her older brother was here then it meant they could have more trouble on their hands then he had planned for. "Ow, what did you hit me for! I didn't do anything!" CJ whined as he now rubbed the back of his head.

Derrick followed Alice over towards the stage and then lifted her on his shoulders so she could see over the large crowd of people that were gathered there. She saw a boy on stage, who was a teen in his late years. He has brown fringed hair and stood around 1.7 meters tall. He wore a white shirt, with a black tie and long blue pants. He also had on a blue cape around him along with a magician's hat on his head. "Welcome, ladies and gentlemen to the grand Silvers magic show." He said with a smile.

Alice frowned when she got a closer look at him. That wasn't her brother, he wasn't even close to him. Derrick patted her on the head. "Don't worry. I know you got excited about getting to see your brother again, but you'll see him at some point. He's your big brother, so he's got to be really strong. He'll be alright." Derrick assured patting the silver haired girl on her head. She nodded grabbing Derrick's hand. They were about to leave, but suddenly eh magician called out to them.

"I need an assistant to help me for my first act. How about the little silver haired girl over there. You look awfully sad, lets see if we can fix that." He said as Alice turned around making sure he was talking to her. She nodded before walking up to the stage. The crowd stepped aside letting her through as the boy grabbed her hand and held her climb up on the stage. "Okay, all I need you to do is stand right here." He said as he placed a hand on her shoulder.

He lifted his other hand and then seemed to focus. "You look like a little girl who loves teddy bears. How about before we start the act we help you try and perk up about whatever your sad about." He said as he put his hands together and then opened them revealing the teddy bear Derrick had given to her. She smiled taking the bear and then looked up at him.

"That's amazing!" She said astounded at the feat. He then took of his hat reaching inside and pulling out a large cloak. He covered her up quickly and then pulled it back as Alice suddenly vanished.

"That's a bit of a cliché. But I'm guessing it's still a crowd pleaser." Derrick said looking carefully. He wanted to make sure Alice came back just the way she came and was looking just in case something funny was going down.

CJ snickered. "He made Oba-chan disappear. Now if only she could stay that way." CJ said as he crawled up on Vincent's shoulder now a little more interested in the trick.

"Trap door." Was all Vincent said.

The boy threw the cloak up and then snatched it out of the air. He grabbed it with both hand and straightened it out before he pulled it back and revealed Alice sitting in the same spot in Indian style. Derrick's expression eased up as CJ frowned. "Trap door, it's a fake! Faker!" Vincent yelled bluntly as the crowd looked astounded.

The boy heard Vincent but decided it'd be best to ignore him. He didn't want to start a fight with an audience member. "Now for my next act I'll have need…" Vincent seemed to time out after that. He watched the rest of the act, but didn't seem to really pay attention to it. Magic wasn't logical, so it was impossible as far as he was concerned. He knew it sounded a bit crude, but it was true.

After the show everyone headed home, but not after picking up a flyer for his actual show he'd hold at the mall on Saturday. He impressed the crowd enough that they were willing to pay to see his act. Vincent was about to leave balling the flyer up, but suddenly CJ tugged on his shirt. He looked down at the boy and already recognized what was happening. "There's a mamodo here. It's a fairly average one, but I still think we should deal with it." CJ said as he held his nose. "She's a girl, cause I can smell shampoo in her hair."

Vincent nodded and followed him back stage wanting to hurry up and finish this. It was going to be dark soon so pretty much everyone had headed home by now. He could start a fight here and now, and he intended to win this time. As they made their day back he walked past Carl, the magician from earlier, and gave him a scowl. "Excuse me, but audience members aren't allowed back here-"

"I'm not here for an autograph or anything. I'll be done soon. You should probably get out of here before things get messy." Vincent warned walking right past him. Carl looked at him curiously but simply watched them go. Suddenly he saw something. He could see the brown book Vincent was holding under his arm. He ran after them quickly realizing what was going on.

CJ lifted up another curtain and then smiled as he found his target. She was a young girl around the age of eleven who stood at around 1.3 meters tall, had a very trim and skinny body to most girls, flowing blond hair, and had a frilly bluish-white dress on. "Who are you guys? What are you doing backstage? Your not supposed to be back here. Read the signs." She said turning towards them with a scowl on her face. Vincent looked at CJ and the toddler nodded.

"I'm glad she's annoying, it'll be more fun this way." He said as he opened the book up. "Fogar!" CJ's red amour appeared as flames surrounded his body, though he didn't move. The girl jumped up ready to defend herself as she pulled out two yo-yo's. Vincent didn't fret though. There was no one else around. If her book owner wasn't here he could defeat her no sweat. By the time he or she came to help, taking the book would be cake. But for some reason CJ wasn't attacking. "Attack her you idiot!"

"No! I'm not going to attack a defenseless girl. Nana would scold me if I did something like that. So would Nee-sama. Although Nii-chan would probably give me a high five or something." He said tilting his head in thought. Carl suddenly came from behind looking panicked.

"Bridget! Are you okay!" he said as he pulled out his book ready to fight. He then looked down at CJ who was lit aflame and up at Vincent who was slapping his forehead. Why did it have to be this kid of all people?

"Okay, not I can fight her!" CJ said rushing towards her. She tossed the yo-yo's forward and they stopped turning into yellow orbs. CJ stopped dead in his tracks and then jumped back slightly. Vincent looked surprised. Was she using spells without the book owner? "Splitaria!" The yo-yo's suddenly turned into buzz saws and headed right toward CJ who kept jumping back until they finally came to a stop. "How long are those strings?" He asked as he nearly fell of the stage.

"I'll tell you after I become queen." Bridget said smirking towards him. He threw two fire balls at her, but her partner read out another spell. "Trinarious Antarias!" With amazing speed and precession she tuned the strings of the yo-yo into a star. The stare turned into a shield blocking the fire, but CJ wasn't done yet. He kept on blasting fire at the shield, but it seemed to be of no use.

"Bridget, did you sense these guys earlier? Why didn't you tell me they were here. Who are these guys anyway?" Carl asked yelling over the noise of the inferno.

"I sensed two earlier, but since they didn't attack I left it alone and I thought they had left. This one must be good at hiding his presence! I recognize this brat. He'd from Nana's village! He's pretty powerful, don't hold back on this one!" She said as the flames finally died down. "It's useless. Your flames can't break through my shield." She said as the yo-yo strings separated and the toys turned back into shining orbs.

CJ lifted his hands up in the air and then swung them down. Bridget saw a bright light above her and then looked up to see the curtains on fire. He purposely hit they shield and lit the curtains on fire so he could blind side her with the flames from above. They shot down like hail but she managed to grabbed her partner and move out of the way. Although she was dragging him by his feet the whole time.

"Splitaria!" The yo-yo's once again turned into buzz saws as she flung them forward right towards CJ. "You using the same trick twice, I know they can only go so far this time." CJ said as he jumped back.

Bridget smiled. "I was testing you. Usually people ether dodge the yo-yo's, or swat them away when I swing the first blow. Now I know you're a speed type, and I have just the thing for you." She said as CJ looked at her curiously. The yo-yo's were moving further this time. In fact he was already of the stage and on the grass. He jumped up now a bit worried, but the buzz saws followed him.

Vincent scowled realizing what was going on. He should have known. "CJ, she's controlling them! Their homing! Move!" He said as CJ looked over towards his partner with surprise. He aimed his hands down and blast the orbs with fire, but it only slowed them down. With a twitch of her finger they began spinning again and chasing after him.

"No matter how fast you speed types are, when your in the air it's over. This was too easy." The blond girl said smiling as CJ suddenly lifted his legs up. He shot fire from his feet and propelled himself out of the way. Both Bridget and Carl looked surprised. Vincent smiled. Their flame burst move wasn't any use on the ground ever since Kai discovered it's weakness, but it was perfect in aerial combat. He repositioned himself before blasting another shot of fire from his feet and heading right towards Bridget.

Carl saw him coming and then read out another spell quickly. "Splitaria antasia!" The yo-yo's suddenly stopped and beginning bouncing right back towards Bridget faster then CJ could get to her. He needed to attack before the yo-yo's got back to her, and shot out a large blast of fire at them. Bridget scowled. Her weapons were almost back to her, but could she create a shield in time? Suddenly Carl stepped in front of her holding out his hat. He held up it as it took in the flames. "I've worked with a lot of fire you know." he said smirking.

"What the hell! She didn't even read a spell!" Vincent yelled in disbelief.

Carl looked over at the teen and then smirked. "I remember you. You're the one who was saying magic is fake. Maybe I can show you here that magic is indeed real." He said as he placed his hat back on his head tipping it downwards.

Bridget flung the toys up once more and CJ blasted fire from his hands shooting himself back and barely avoiding the bladed weapons. He landed on his feet then turned back towards them. It would have been one thing is she had stopped his fire, but a human did it with ease. He was furious. "I don't care about it being magic or not, but I'm not going to lose to you or anyone else!" CJ yelled charging at them once more.

"He was more tricky then I thought. I'll have to be more précised with this one." Bridget said as she flung her yo-yo's one more time. CJ once again began ducking and dodging the slicing weapons as he shot fire at them to slow them down. He didn't have time to charge up a larger ball of fire, and the ones he could get off barely slowed them at all. "Stop jumping around so much! It's annoying you know!" She yelled.

Vincent watched closely as the yo-yo's chased CJ around endlessly. He could tell she was trying to close him in. once she did it would be easy to finish him off since the strings would be able to keep him from escaping. He walked forward ignoring the spinning blades of doom around him and stepped in a single spot. Once CJ landed in that spot he grabbed the back of his shirt and lifted him up. "Can't you even see when your being cornered? It's going to be a hassle making you king." He said smirking.

The yo-yo's came at him but he didn't flinch. He lifted his hand and then round house kicked the yo-yo on the left. It smashed into the one of the right and sent them flying off into a tree. The blades caused them to be stuck, but Vincent didn't hesitate. He grabbed the strings and pulled on them tightly. CJ caught on and grabbed them as well sending a streak of fire down. "Eat this yo-yo girl!" He yelled as the flames made their way down towards Bridget.

She let go of the strings and jumped back as they burnt up, and once they did the orbs turned back into regular yo-yo's. CJ smiled as he held his hand up and blasted them to bits. "How you going to fight me without your toys?" Vincent asked as he pulled out his gun. He aimed it towards them expecting Carl to throw over the book. "Now just hand the book over and I-" Bridget pulled out another set of Yo-yo's which shocked both CJ and Vincent. "What the heck!" Vincent shouted angrily.

"Do you think someone like me wouldn't be smart enough to keep spare yo-yo's around on me?" She said smiling towards him. Vincent and CJ both scowled as he flung the yo-yo's forward causing them to turn into yellow orbs. They were right back to square one. "I have to admit, I was a little surprised that you were able to stop them. I didn't think there was any human strong enough to stop any spells. Especially not mines. But you managed to pull it off." She said a bit impressed.

The black haired teen looked furious. He was sure that this plan would have worked if she hadn't carried those extras. He could have tried the same strategy again but he knew she was probably carrying dozens of back ups on her. He now knew the problem wasn't the yo-yo's. He had to get CJ close enough to her so he could do some direct damage.

"CJ, she's trying to pin you in so she can corner you. Circle her so she can't trap you in any specific area. She can't pin you as long as we make use of all the outside space. Fokai!" He directed as he read out another spell. CJ nodded as his blue lighting amour covered him. "And another thing. Don't just run past them and go straight for her. If she retracts those yo-yo's like earlier while your back is turned to them it's over. Get the yo-yo's a distance from you before you go in for the kill."

"I can move through the air if I use my burst with my lighting, but what about that guy. If he has any other tricks up his sleeve I could end up open to their attack. How do I handle the book owner?" CJ asked tilting his head. Vincent looked up at Carl who was smirking and tipping his hat. They had the advantage and they knew it. They were just waiting for them to make a wrong move was all.

Vincent thought for a second before smiling. "Foku!" CJ's lighting amour disappeared and was replaced with his brown stone amour. Was Vincent crazy? He was slower in this form. Granted he was still fast enough to dodge the yo-yo's, but still. Vincent knelt down whispering in his ear. After hearing the plan he came up with CJ smiled. This would definitely work.

CJ ran forward as Carl raised an eyebrow. What trick would they be up to next? He opened the book as Bridget flung the orbs forward to attack. "Splitaria!" As they rushed forward the yo-yo's turned into buzz saws once more. CJ was smiling as he placed his hands on the ground. She looked confused. Suddenly to rocks came from the ground beside the buzz saws catching them perfectly from the side. He then had two more sets of rocks come up and hold the strings in place.

The toddler then slammed his hands on the ground as the spot beneath Carl rose up high into the air. He stood on the pillar of stone attempting to keep his balance. "Fogar!" CJ's fire amour grew back as he jumped over the rocks and blasted fire at Bridget who was attempting to pull the orbs back. She cursed realizing that even through the orbs couldn't be touched under normal conditions, the string were caught as well. The fire hit her sending her flying back and slamming into the front of the stage.

Carl looked down and balled his fist up. He quickly through his cape over himself disappearing from the pillar and then reappeared beside Bridget. He looked over her, but she got up and stepped in front of him. "Carl, don't' worry about it! Just hurry up and read another spell! If these guys keep this up they could turn this around!" She yelled as CJ threw another large ball of fire. He grabbed her and jumped out of the way. The strings were still stuck.

"Didn't think I wouldn't notice that those orbs were ethereal. I knew he'd have trouble catching the string themselves, so I had him catch those pesky buzz saws first. They may have sliced those rocks in two from the front, but it was easy to catch them from the side. And then the string were easy to pin down. Give it up, your done." Vincent said as he smiled evilly. He loved it when things went his way.

"You think we're going to give up just because you got a little advantage. Well Dream on! We're not even halfway done yet!" She yelled. "Ricoria Bublia!" Suddenly she swung the yo-yo's upwards. They were still stuck, but they were spinning faster until suddenly the rocks around them exploded. They were on again loose, but CJ wasn't going to let that stop him. He was sure he could get to her before those yo-yo's retracted. He blew fire from his feet running towards her and Carl.

Bridget pulled back as the yo-yo's came towards CJ. He rushed and lifted his flame covered fist ready to deliver the hardest punch he could muster. He knew shooting fire would only let Carl deflect it away with his hat or cape. He was right about to punch her and Bridget closed her eyes bracing for impact, when suddenly a hand caught CJ's fist. They both looked up and saw Alice who was glaring at him. "Stop it." She ordered.

CJ couldn't believe what was happening. Derrick approached Vincent from behind with a sigh. "I thought you guys might let this one slide, but after I called your house and your grandma said you weren't home I figured you were starting trouble." He said as he looked over towards Alice. "She sensed the same mamodo earlier, but she didn't want to fight, so she didn't say anything. We were hoping you'd ignore it to, but that was asking for too much."

Vincent turned towards him but decided not to take him down. If they took their focus off of their target she'd break loose and take them down. And with Alice seemingly siding with them, he didn't want to risk something like that happening. "Why are you keeping me from burning this girls book? It's not like it's any business of yours anyway. Why don't you just get lost and leave us be." Vincent said grabbing the front of his shirt.

"I don't care if you beat me up, and I personally don't care about these two, I've never even met them before. But Alice wants you to leave them alone, so back off." he said glaring at him. "We agreed not to attack each other since you helped out Kai, but if you even think about hurting Alice, I'll do everything in my power to take you down." He said pulling his book out.

Alice pushed CJ back slightly as he stumbled back. "Why are you attacking Carl-san? He never attacked you, and he seems like a nice guy. I'm not just going to let you beat them up. Stop fighting and just go home." She demanded as CJ stomped his foot on the ground.

"Shut up! You can't tell me what to do! I'm not going to listen to you just because you told me to do something! I can take you and her right now if I wanted to!" He said as his body began to grow large flames around it. Alice didn't budge at the display. She wasn't afraid of his temper tantrum.

"CJ, we're going to fall back for now. C'mon." Vincent said as he turned around beginning to walk away. CJ looked at him and couldn't believe it. Were they really going to leave just because Alice had told them to. "And don't complain. If grey hair over here decides to turn on us we'll be in more trouble then we bargained for." he said as he walked off angrily. CJ stuck a tongue out at Alice before angrily following his book owner. They had been so close, but the number of books they burned was still just one.

Derrick walked over towards Alice and helped Carl up. "We could have handled them without you, but I suppose I should still thank you for lending a hand. Are you sure we should just let them go like that?" Bridget said glaring after the duo.

"It's okay. They have a bad bark, but their really softies. I don't know what's wrong with them though. Starting a fight like that out of nowhere. They should be ashamed." Alice said pouting.

Carl looked after them with a dull expression. "He seems confused. Most of the other people we faced seemed like him. But he's somehow different. He has a different feeling about him. He's not trying to fight just to have power or anything. He seems genuinely close to his partner. Why is he attacking others so randomly?" Carl asked curiously.

Derrick heard this and sparked up a bit. He then frowned. He remembered what Vincent's grandmother had told him before h came here. "_After his brother and sister left Vincent was alone. He didn't have any friends besides Teal, and it seemed like he was always by himself. He covers it with that cold attitude of his, but he's extremely lonely. He doesn't believe he can trust anyone ether so he's just spending his days alone_." She explained.

He then looked down at CJ and grew a small smirk. "_But ever since he's met CJ he seems to have sparked up a bit. No matter how hard he tries to hide it he holds trust in that boy. And at this point I think he'd do anything to keep the boy by his side. He's to afraid to seep back into that loneliness again. If winning this battle will give him the chance to keep being friends with CJ, he'll put 200% effort into winning._"

Derrick kept watching as Vincent carry CJ on his shoulders as they made their way home. "When we get home I'll make us some hot chocolate. I'm tired and I just want to go to bed and ask Kami why he hates me so much." He said frowning.

* * *

**A/N: I wanted this chapter to make things go a little more smoothly for vincent and CJ. A little confidence booster after so many hard battles. While it wasn't an easy battle, they managed to pull through. Anyhow The next chapter will have _ and _ in it.(You didn't really think I was going to spoil it did you? ]. And Don't worry, CHikushou and Jhouru will be getting in the mix soon as well(They were in my last story, so you know I got to put them in this one). But I want to space out the time characters get introduced. While I do look forward introducing new Characters, throwing a whole mess in at once only makes it more diffcult to write a plot. So I have enough charatcers to wait a one ro two chapter before introducing a new character. V-man, OUTOU!**

**Side Note: Mad Props to Nouva on his last chapter. SUPA happy CJ made it into the top ten. Keep up the good work dude. I know all my Kohai Will all write great story for me to read! **


	7. Get pumped!

Vincent stood in front of a tree punching it as hard as he could. His training had been like this for a few days now. Since he had the technique down now all he had to do was up his strength. He then noticed something. There was small handwriting on the tree. "When you get older, your probably find this message. Good luck Junebug!" It read as Vincent grew annoyed. He punched the tree once more this time knocking it down. He then stomped on it making sure the message was unreadable.

Junebug was the nickname his mother had given him when he was a child. After she left his brother and sister had always made fun of him calling him by that name, and he hated it. Suddenly he noticed CJ was sitting on his shoulder and staring at him. "Are you Junebug?" He asked curiously as he turned back to the tree his partner had just demolished. He wondered why he was so bent on destroying every tree he came across. Sure it was part of training, but Vincent was doing a little much.

Then the black haired teen grabbed his partner and dropped him on the ground. "No! Junebug is a myth made up to scare little children! Now go do your own exercises! Your technique still sucks!" Vincent shouted as he pouted walking off to the next tree. CJ shrugged his shoulders and walked off to get back to his training. Vincent was lying about him not getting the technique down, but he didn't want him bothering him while he was doing this.

"I don't think it's a bad nickname. Why are you so embarrassed by it? Plenty of kids have way worst nicknames then that." Haley said standing behind Vincent as she gave him a questioning look. He jumped back hitting the back of his head on the tree. He then glared at the red head before him. Haley simply chuckled as watched him rub the back of his head. "Your Grandma said it's time for lunch." She said as Vincent scowled.

"It's not my nickname! Junebug is just one of my cousins! It's not my name! you hear me?" Vincent yelled making sure it was clear.

"Junebug? I haven't heard you nickname in a super long time." Teal said as he took a bite from her hamburger. She had been bringing Vincent lunch during his training, but since she was busy today she simply stopped by Wendy's and picked up a few burgers. "I never knew why you were so embarrassed by it though. It's a boy nickname. Why do you guys always sweat over small stuff like that?"

Vincent stared at the ground crossing his arms as Haley listened curiously. "Why does he hate his nickname so much? It doesn't seem so bad. And your right, it is a boys nickname. I had a uncle a few years back with the same nickname." Haley reasoned as she picked up a fork full of salad. She had brought her own lunch rather then relying on fast food.

"Don't know. He's always just wanted to be called Bugger rather then Junebug. But that's so much more of a disgusting nickname, I don't know why he'd rather be called that. Always running around and fussing at Teal and his sibling not to be called that name. Really, he may be related by blood but his sense of reasoning is years below mine. Such a troublesome grandson he is." His grandmother said shaking her head.

"Stop talking about me like I'm not even here you troublesome trio! This is exactly why girls are such a bother! Always chatting away and never shutting up!" He yelled as he slammed his burger against the ground. CJ quickly ran by picking it up and running off. He wasn't planning on letting good food go to waist. And he picked it up before the five second rule came into play.

Teal chuckled at him as his grandmother got up and kicked him back. "Watch your mouth you snotty little brat. I may be training you but I'm still you guardian. You talk to me like that again and I'll tear your teeth out of your mouth." She threatened as Haley looked a little worried. Teal's laughing stopped as she heard this. She knew how violent the old woman could be from watching her pick on Vincent years ago.

The black haired teen was silent for a second then grew a smirk on his face. "Fresh young teeth like mine would only rot in the mouth of an old bat like you, but go ahead and try me." He said as she kicked him once more. The two began fighting each other viciously but it was clear the older woman had the advantage. They wondered why he was fighting when he knew he hadn't stood a chance.

He then managed to jump back form the old woman and flipped up the table which their lunch was on. She knocked it to the side but Vincent had already seemed to be gone. She gritted her teeth knowing he had probably ran away. "Blasted brat. Haley-san, your training is done for today. Teal-san, when you see that stupid boy hit him for me. CJ-kun probably went with him since I don't see him anywhere." She said as he walked inside the house closing the door behind her.

Haley nodded as she grabbed her bag and headed out, while Teal simply jumped over the fence to their back yard and ran off to find Vincent. "It was another troublesome but boring day. I thought if I came here I would find something interesting, but you guys have been boring for the last few days." Grace said from above. Haley looked up to find the girl sitting on the roof and fanning herself. "It's also hot."

"Um, I'm not exactly sure how much stronger you are, but shouldn't you be training as well? I'm sure you want to be as strong as possible to try and become queen." Haley asked as Grace looked down at her a bit surprised. She jumped down thinking for a few seconds on how to answer her question.

"I'm not so much interested in winning this battle so much as having an interesting time. I just want to get a look at something that'll kill the boredom and maybe get a few laughs out of it." She said smiling as she twirled a strand of hair around her finger. She sat back on the bench and giggled. "Being queen would be nice, but it'd also be a lot of work. I'm not a person who likes taking things seriously." She said simply. Haley shook her head. She wasn't lazy like Kai, but she obviously wasn't motivated ether.

"Things should be interesting really soon though." A voice said from behind. Alice had walked into the door and shut it behind her. "Sorry for not telling you I was coming Haley. Derrick-kun dropped me off since I wanted to train also. But I sensed something one the way here. A really strong mamodo is around here. CJ should be fine, but after how he attacked the last mamodo I don't want to warn him." She said crossing her arms and pouting.

Grace patted the silver haired girl on the head and smiled. "You know, they say you hate the one you love the most. It's a old and cliché saying but it still rings true in most cases." She said as Alice's face turned red. "You can tell us if you like him. I promise I won't tell anyone. Honor between girls." She said smiling as Alice began blushing even deeper.

"I-I don't! He's stupid! Why would you even think I did! That'd be like Haley liking Kai, only I hate him a lot more then she hates Kai! In fact we don't even get along at all! I really don't like him at all! He's a jerk!" She rambled as she shook her arms up and down. Haley pulled on the back of Graces Shirt mumbling for her to stop. Grace giggled before turning back to the girl.

"Putting that aside, this old ladies type of training really isn't your style. You shouldn't ask her to help you get stronger. It wouldn't help someone like you even if you perfected it." Grace said bluntly as Haley was about to interject. She was being a bit cold towards the young girl. "You a power type fighter, only people who make use of speed and such would benefit from something like this. You're a brawler, you need a different method of training. Let me train you." Grace said simply.

Alice was a bit confused and it took her a few seconds to actually break down what the older girl was saying. "B-but I don't think I'd be any good at boxing. My arms aren't as long as yours so I wouldn't' have reach over anyone. And I can only run fast. My hands punch at normal speeds. I couldn't do what you do all the time." She said looking at her hands worried.

"Boxing is more of a hobby I learned how to exploit. Before I came here I was a straight brawler like you. But if your still skeptical about it, then I'll just have to show you what you can gain from me." Grace said as she hopped over the fence. "Haley-san, Alice-kun, please watch closely. I won't use boxing when I come across these mamodo." She said as she jumped off.

Alice and Haley quickly opened the gate and then ran out to follow her. Alice was wondering why she said 'these' rather then this, but suddenly sensed a second mamodo a distance off. "_A second one! Why didn't I sense him earlier! Did grace already know there was two of them?_" She thought as she watched Grace run after Vincent and Teal.

* * *

Vincent walked down the street rubbing his chin as he did so. His grandmother still had quite the left hook on her even after all these years. "You were asking for it you know. You keep on insulting her even though she's teaching you. You stubborn beyond all belief." Teal said walking beside him.

"I wasn't stubborn until I met you now was I? I used to be that kid everyone picked on, now I'm standing up for myself and suddenly I'm being stubborn." Vincent complained as he scowled. CJ jumped off his shoulder and down in front of him growling. Vincent and Teal stopped looking up to see what was wrong. "It's another mamodo isn't it? I guess we'll take care of this. Teal, you can head on home-"

"Are you trying to be chivalrous? It doesn't suit you. Don't try and send me on home like I'm going to get in the way. And don't give me that I don't want you to be hurt crap ether. I'm staying." She said glaring at Vincent seriously.

"You're the stubborn one." He said right before she hit him in the head. As they moved around the corner they could see three figures. One was a 5'11 boy who had wavy black hair with bright brown streaks going through it. He wore short sleeved black Under armor shirt, black track pants with white stripes on the side, and white running sneakers. He looked around about seventeen from what Vincent could tell.

Beside him was another boy only younger, around twelve or so. He was about 3 feet 5 inches tall, had a gray faux hawk, and onyx eyes. He wore silver earrings in both of his ears, and was also wearing a white t-shirt with a black leather jacket that had a white cobra on the back. Along with his jacket, were some black pants with black boots and on his hands were black fingerless gloves. CJ could tell he was definitely the mamodo he sensed. But there was still another.

Looking a few feet behind them was a girl. She was a 5'7 girl and had an athletic build. What caught CJ's attention though was the fact that she had fairly large breast. She had shoulder link black hair with blue highlights, and wore a white spaghetti-strap shirt and light blue short shorts. "Wow, she had really huge-!" Teal hit CJ on the head with her elbow before he could finish his statement. She wasn't going to say it, but she was bothered that hers were smaller.

"Don't attack them yet. We'll follow them until we can find a place to corner them, and then we'll strike. Until then keep your cool and simply keep track of them." Vincent ordered as CJ jumped on his shoulder. Vincent looked at him for a second then pulled his hat down tighter. "CJ, make sure your hats on. You'll catch a cold." he said with a bit of concern in his voice. Teal looked at him a bit surprised, but simply smiled. He really saw CJ as a little brother after all.

* * *

After about half an hour of walking the group they were tracking stopped at the middle of an old run down carnival. The one with the piercing in his ears stopped and looked straight up in the air. "U-um, Ishi-kun. Why did we stop here all of a sudden. I know it's a carnival but it won't be open until next month. Shouldn't we head somewhere else?" The girl asked a bit confused.

"We're stopping here because there's someone trailing us, and it be a bother to fight with all those people around." The younger boy said turning around towards the direction Vincent and CJ were hiding.

Vincent was going to try and fool them but Teal stepped out without hesitation. "I told you they knew we were following them. They walked around in circles for a while before they actually lured us here. You should have listened to me." She scolded as Vincent and CJ came out of hiding.

CJ looked over at the younger boy and sniffed in the air. "You wreak of the Cobra clan. You must be that kid everyone is saying has a shot to be king. But that's a load of crap since it's going to be me. Still, you could be good training since I heard you guys had some pretty strong people." CJ said excitedly. "Besides, I'm one of Nana's Trio." He said with a bit of arrogance in his voice.

The boy raised an eyebrow at him. "Your one of Nana's trio, I would have expected you guys to be well, more… not puny. Ishimaru, let me handle this guy on my own, he doesn't seem like much. He's probably one of those guys who relies more on spells then his actual power. It should be quick." He said walking forward.

CJ puffed up with anger as the older boy looked a bit concerned. "Are you sure your going to be okay Chainz. I don't think it's a good idea to underestimate. Remember the last guy from Nana's trio we fought around here. He was way tougher then we imagined." Ishimaru said rubbing his head.

Chainz scowled as Vincent looked surprised. He said he, so that meant CJ's brother was somewhere in this town. This was great. If he could find him he's be able to use him to get further ahead in the battle. Not to mention answer all the question that had been keeping him up at night since this battle started. "You guys definitely lost then. Nii-chan had powers beyond someone's worst nightmare, there is no way he'd lose to you." CJ said now serious. "Tell me where he is."

Chainz scowled at him for a bit before letting out a sigh. "Yeah, he managed to beat us. But he said he didn't have any interest in burning our books, so he left simply as that." Chainz explained. "Now that I think of it, he asked if we saw some rodent brat around here. Guess he was looking for you for some reason. Too bad he'll never be able to find you now." He shouted as he ran forward.

"If you can't tell me where he is then it's pointless! I'll just beat you down and find him myself!" CJ yelled as the two charged at each other. Chainz got the first punch by stopping and holding his fist out. CJ was had slipped on the icy ground slid and hit his fist face first. Vincent slapped his forehead. He warned him it was going to be cold outside today, and that the ground would be icy and slippery.

CJ got up with tears in his eyes as he rubbed his nose. He had never been hit harder then he had been just now. He assumed Alice could punch that hard, but he had never given her the chance. Chainz saw his tears and chuckled a bit. "Are you crying?" he asked a bit amused at the sight.

"No!" CJ yelled rubbing his nose. He wiped his tears away and then ran again. Chainz kept his guard up knowing the same trick wouldn't work twice. CJ circled around him until he suddenly seemed to disappear. Chainz was looking around in disbelief. How fast was he moving exactly. Suddenly he heard a squealing sound. CJ jumped up in his guinea pig form and then rammed into his face. As he landed his transformed back and then smirked at him.

"Okay, so that was kind of clever, but you hit like a girl." He said preparing to go after CJ. Suddenly Grace jumped down beside him. He grew wide eyed and tried to turn to block himself, but she swung punching him in the stomach and sending him crashing through a cotton candy stand.

"No, I hit way harder then him." Grace said smiling.

Vincent looked surprised while Teal simply smiled as she pulled out her book. "Nice timing! I didn't want to sit back and just watch this, so it's better if we take this one since CJ seems to be having trouble." Teal said as Vincent suddenly pushed the book back down. She looked at him angrily. "What are you doing?" She asked angrily.

The black haired teen looked towards the ground scratching his head. "Y-you don't have to fight them. Me and CJ can handle it perfectly, just sit back and watch us." he said trying to avoid eye contact. She would have killed him if he had said he just didn't want her to fight.

She hit him on the head looking at him seriously. "Stop trying to be chivalrous, it doesn't suit you." She said as she lifted the book back up. He was about to argue with her, but then she gave him a glare that he recognized all to well. It was the 'I'm going to hit you if you say that' glare which he got often when they were little. "Just because I'm a girl doesn't mean I can't handle my own in one of these fights! Don't underestimate me!" She yelled.

"I'm not saying that! I'm just saying me and CJ could handle it! You don't have to worry about it, so just stay-"

"As much as I would love to see how this little love spat ends, I think more serious matters are at hand. Even if you can handle this Cobra kid on your own, you'd need our help dealing with him and the other guys hiding over there." She said looking towards an old abandoned food stand. A figure jumped out in front of Ishimaru and the other girl.

"Bushido! You were following us the whole time?" She asked. The figure was a boy and had a blue cowboy hat, tufts of pale blond hair, deep blue eyes, and a blue bandana that covers his entire face except for his eyes. He also wore a long blue cape around his neck, white pants, and white t-shirt. On his side was an empty katana sheath.

The boy tipped his hat and looked back towards the girl. " Sorry for spying on you guys Kana, but I was worried something might have gone wrong, so I decided to tag along just in case." He said as he lifted his sword sheath. "The boy is quick and evasive, but the girl is definitely a power house. It'll be easier if I have Chainz deal with the boy and I handle the girl." He said signaling his book owner to read a spell.

Kana nodded and then read of the first spell. "Rando Shidoruk!" Bushido suddenly grew a shadow katana from his sword sheath and pointed it at Grace who was smiling. "You picked me right off the bat didn't you. Your kind of forceful for a guy." She said as he lifted her hands up to fight. "That's okay though, girl like it when I guy is a little forceful. It's manly."

Bushido ignored her as Grace read off a spell of her own. "Agaru!" Grace's hands turned into axes as she ran towards Bushido who blocked them with his sword. She then kicked upwards barely managing to scrap his chin. He was definitely a tricky one. She's have to find a way to pin him down. She ran off as Bushido followed her with his sword in hand. Their book owners went after them making sure to back up their partners.

Vincent looked towards Teal warning her to come back, then looked over at CJ who was attempting to choke out Chainz. He had jumped on the older boys back and had his arms around his neck. Chainz then began backing up and slamming CJ into the wall behind him. The brown haired boy responded by biting him on the head and his victim let out a painful shout. "OW! Son of a gun! You bit me you little rat brat." He yelled as he attempted to sink his teeth even deeper.

"Fogar!" CJ's flame amour then appeared and Chainz then started to feel the heat around him. He ran around attempting to shake CJ off and then hit the ground and rolled. Ishimaru said this and knew he had to do something. "Chainz, aim towards the house of mirrors!" He yelled as his partner looked towards the direction he was pointing. "Kai Lei!" Chainz shot a laser from his mouth which deflected back towards him. He then ducked his head and it hit CJ sending him flying back.

The boy slid against the ground and hopped up to his feet. Chainz was on him instantly, but he managed to knock away his punches since he was faster. He didn't know how many of those hits he could take, but he knew he wouldn't be able to last very long. He had to keep dodging if he wanted a chance at winning. "What's wrong, you know your going to need to fight back if you want a chance to win don't you?" Chainz yelled as he suddenly kicked up at CJ who leaned to the side dodging.

He back flipped to gain some distance. He'd knew have the advantage if he kept it long range. "Kai Lei!" He shot another laser at CJ who formed a circle of flames to block it, but the flames were shot right through and sent him sliding back once more. "May this won't be as easy as I thought it would be." CJ said struggling up to his feet. He raised his hands above his head and then form a large ball of fire. "Eat this!" He yelled throwing it towards Chainz.

"Hokkado!" A large gear shield appeared in front of Chainz blocking the ball of fire. He smiled as the flames dispersed and disappeared. If this was the best he had this would be easy. Suddenly as his shield disappeared he saw CJ in the air heading right towards him. "_I never thought that attack would hit, but is made a good distraction!_" He thought as his fist gathered flames around them. He punched Chainz right in the face as hard as he could and sent him flying back.

Chainz hit the ground hard and then rolled a few feet. He got up and saw that his cheek had a slight burn on it. "Not a bad punch for a brat. But if you think this is all it takes to beat me, you got another thing coming." He said as he walked to CJ who was a bit surprised. He knew the punch had managed to hurt him, but he expected a little more damage. This guy was pretty durable.

"I'm not even half way finished yet! I'll show you the true power of one of Nana's trio!" he said charging again. He ran forward as Chainz prepared to swing at him. Suddenly CJ held his fist out and shot a flame burst from his feet. He speeded forward punching Chainz right in the face and sending him flying back one more.

CJ smiled but knew he had to think of something else to get the jump on Chainz. He wouldn't fall for the same tricks twice, and in a head to head match he didn't think he could outlast the other boy. Chainz got back up once more and this time he seemed a little more enraged then before. "I'm through playing your little games, I'm going to end this now!" He said raising his hands up. "Hokeigo!" a spiked ball connected to a chain suddenly shot from his hand and right at CJ. He moved to the side and it smashed the popcorn stand behind him to pieces.

CJ smiled as he blew fire from his feet and headed into the air. But Chainz easily pulled the weapon back to him, swung It around and few times, and then hit CJ on his side knocking him back down the ground. He tried to bring it down on him but CJ rolled to the side and it smashed into the ground causing a small crater. He gulped knowing he wouldn't be able to take a downward swing from such a weapon.

"Fokai!" CJ's fire amour vanished and was replaced with lighting amour. He began moving quickly as Chainz kept on swinging the spiked weapon at him. The speed boost he gained form the spell helped him easily avoid it, but he still kept his guard up. He looked towards Vincent wondering why he hadn't shouted any orders yet. He needed help and wasn't getting any. "_Darn it CJ! I didn't switch you to the lighting amour for no reason! If I shout it out they'll only switch spells on us, and we can't have that. Figure it out on your own, I won't always be able to directly tell you the answer but pick up on the hints I'm giving you._" Vincent thought scowling.

The brown haired toddle kept on dodging and then ducked as the spiked ball nearly took his head off. He then had an idea and was now glad he had on the lighting amour. He grabbed the chain connected to the spiked ball and shot lighting through it. It moved up shocking Chainz as it did so. CJ kept up the attack until he was sure it would knock out Chainz. He finally stopped and Chainz fell back twitching a bit. I did it! I won!" CJ yelled throwing his hands up in the air.

"Stop cheering! It's not over yet!" Vincent yelled as CJ looked at him in disbelief. Chainz was getting up and groaning in pain. "He's tougher then any other opponent we faced so far. You don't stop fighting until his book is up in flames you hear me?" Vincent ordered as CJ nodded his head and focused on his target.

* * *

Grace slide back as Bushido kept pressuring her. He was relentless with his sword and she knew one wrong move could cost her a hand or two. Bushido didn't have any plans on holding back. He knew this girl was strong and was going all out for that purpose. "Rokushido Karon!" Suddenly three silhouettes of Bushido appeared all holding swords like his own. Grace jumped up on the top of the merry go round and moved to the middle. She knew she's have to pick them off one by one.

Teal was focused on the battle, but she was always glaring at Kana every so often. Kana was noticing this but didn't stare back a bit nervous. "W-why do you keep on staring at me like that?" She asked as Teal looked down towards the ground.

Teal didn't say anything for a while but finally spoke. "I hate your type. Your always so arrogantly and showing off those things of yours." She said bitterly.

Kana didn't know what she was talking about but then it hit her. "M-my chest? I'm not showing them off! It's not my fault that their so… mature." She said blushing as she covered her chest.

"Those are way beyond mature! Those are over pumped air bags!" She yelled angrily as Kana blushed even deeper.

"Their not that bad! Stop making fun of them! It's already embarrassing enough!" She said annoyed.

Bushido looked back and sighed. Was now of all times really the time to be having this conversation? Suddenly Grace moved past him and he ducked barely avoiding her axe. There was however a silhouette behind him who reacted a little to slow and was chopped clean in half. Grace smiled. One down, two to go. One snuck up behind her, but she ducked dodging it's blade and then kicked it in the chin. The strike was powerful and sent it flying into the air and hitting the ground hard. It disappeared afterwards.

The last one took the chance to come behind her and hold her arms behind her back. "Oh, you're a little forceful to be dealing with a girl aren't you?" She asked as Bushido ran forward holding his sword up. He was going to run threw her. She saw this coming however and turned around at the last second causing him to stab his own silhouette. She smiled as he back kicked him. He managed to block with his sheath, but he could still feel the power behind the blow.

As he slid back she moved forward swinging her axe hand again. He blocked it with his shadow sword but once again felt the amazing power she was putting behind her attacks. He then looked over as he saw a bright glow. He jumped back from Grace looking over towards the light. "It seems like Chainz is getting serious now. Your friend probably won't last much longer." He said looking over towards her. Grace didn't turn away from him, but was a bit worried. She could sense a lot of power coming from him.

"Ishimaru, I hate to say this but I think this kid is giving us a little trouble. We should just finish him with our strongest spell." Chainz said as his partner nodded. "Lei Hokaisho!" as those words came out Chainz blast out a giant laser cobra. Vincent looked up in disbelief of what he was beholding. That wasn't a normal spell was it? He had never seen anything like that before, not even among the mamodo.

"CJ, blast that thing with all the power you can muster! It looks do big to be able to dodge, so don't hold back!" Vincent shouted as CJ raised his arms blasting the cobra with all the lighting he could gather. He kept on blasting it, but it didn't budge an inch. It stayed right on track heading towards them. "_N-no, if this attack hits the book could actually be… I won't let that happen!_" He thought as he clutched the book to his chest as tightly as he could.

It began glowing brighter and CJ could feel himself gaining more power. He didn't hesitate to put it into use, but he was barely slowing the cobra down. Vincent looked forward and saw CJ trying to pushed the cobra back. He jumped forward pulling the toddler in his arms and keeping the book under him. CJ looked up and saw Vincent biting his lip knowing what was coming. The attack hit and the explosion was fairly large. "With all that lighting he managed to weaken it down some. But it should still be enough." Ishimaru said sighing.

Chainz stopped his partner and then looked closer and could see two figures standing in the smoke. Vincent was bleeding from his forehead and his arms. He seemed tired and was breathing heavily. CJ was bleeding as well, but he didn't seem as hurt as his partner. Vincent patted him on the head trying to stay conscious. "Y-you did a good job ya runt. That hurt a lot less then I thought it would. And you books still here to. Take it and run before they keep coming."

CJ tried to hold back his tears but couldn't. He clutched Vincent shirt trying to get him to move. "Shut up! You're the one who can't be beaten remember! If we're going to have a tactical retreat your coming to! I'm not going to leave without you!" CJ said trying to pull on the older boy. He couldn't, he may have been faster then everyone he had come across, but his strength was average without spells backing him up. "Get up! Your not the type of guy who'd get beaten like this! Why did you even shield me! My body couldn't have handled it you know!" CJ shouted.

Vincent looked at him and smiled. He knew CJ's body had been worn out from his battle with Chainz. There was no way he would've taken that attack with serious injury. "_I've gone even softer then I thought huh… imagine me taking a hit like that for some brat I met a less then a month ago._" He thought to himself as he looked up at Chainz and Ishimaru. They were walking towards them probably ready to take the book. "You hard headed idiot, I told you to get the book and run. Go find Teal and Grace and escape."

CJ balled his fist up and then turned towards Chainz. The other mamodo had expected him to take off by now but he was standing his ground. "Why are you looking at me like that? Did you think I'd run off just because my book owner told me to! This fight isn't over yet! Not by a long shot!" CJ yelled as Vincent scowled. He would have yelled at him how much of an idiot he was being, but he could barely even keep himself conscious.

Chainz looked at him for a few seconds before scowling at him. He turned away from him to Ishimaru's surprise and then just began walking away. "It's not my style to pick on someone who can't fight back. This just got boring, we don't need to finish these guys off Ishimaru." Chainz said as he signaled his book owner to follow him. Ishimaru smirked knowing he just didn't want to burn CJ's book.

Suddenly a spark of lighting hit Chainz on the back. He turned to see CJ standing on his feet and breathing heavily. Vincent hadn't noticed his hand was still on the book, and was honestly surprised to see CJ still had some power left in him. "I don't need your pity! You can run away if you want to, but from now on you're my number one rival! Next time we fight I'll totally win by a landslide, you hear me?" He shouted as he fell to his knees.

Chainz smirked at him but turned back around still heading off. CJ heard him mutter 'Whatever' before waving a hand back at him. He gritted his teeth until Ishimaru suddenly walked in front of him. "You guys were pretty tough. Chainz probably just didn't want to burn your books since you seemed like good guys. But he might also just see you as a rival. He's a little complicated if you ask me. Still, hope we see you guys again." He said as he followed Chainz off.

Chainz looked back at CJ from the corner of his eye. The boy was still glaring at him but then turned around to help Vincent who was now out cold. "Nana's trio huh…" He muttered as he placed a hand on his nose. He pulled it back and saw blood as he remembered the punch he had given to him a while ago. "They must be pretty tough. That's the second one of them that's been able to make me bleed." He said smiling as he balled his fist up.

"He called you a nice guy? Was he high?" Teal asked tilting her head as Vincent sat in the hospital room. He honestly would've rather gone home, but Teal figured since the hospital was closer and she didn't know a thing about first aid, she should bring him here first. She was glad Kana and Bushido ran off after seeing their friends strongest spell. "Besides me I don't think anyone had ever called you a nice guy." She said as she took a bit from his brownie.

"Oi, that's mine. I didn't say you could have it." Vincent said scowling as he attempted to sit up and reach for it. He tried to snatch it away but she held it up not even bothering to take him seriously.

"Huh? I thought you hated sweets and stuff like this? You seem like a person who only likes bitter snacks like pickles or something." She said curiously as he kept on reaching up.

"I have a sweet tooth." he said as she finally tossed the brownie to him. He then looked over at the book. He had no idea how he had managed to skim through this time. He would have left the book behind when he shielded CJ, but the explosion might have burned it, so he just slipped it under him and hoped his body would be enough. "Where is that runt. He hasn't come in here since I've been awake. Is he hurt too?" He asked as he sat up stretching his arm.

He really was glad CJ weakened it down so much. He thought for sure that the spell would kill him once it had hit, but he still managed to stay alive. It was amazing. Teal looked towards the door and frowned. "He says he doesn't want to come in. He problem thinks it's his fault or something. He seemed pretty down on the way here." She said as Vincent got up and headed outside. "You going to go talk to him?"

"I'm going to beat the crap out of him. If he turned into an emotional sissy before I make him king, it won't be any use even having him around." Vincent said as he headed out to find his partner. He saw CJ staring out of the window in the hallway and then walked up behind him. He stared at him for a few seconds before hitting him on the head as hard as he could. "What the heck are you staring at?" He asked scowling.

CJ rubbed his head and then turned around angrily. But then frowned once he saw Vincent's injuries. He lowered his head once again trying to fight back his tears. "I-I… you got hurt because I was weak. If I had been stronger then he wouldn't have been able to get off that spell. Or maybe I could have at least stopped it." He said as Vincent's placed his hand right on the toddlers head.

"Your right, your totally weak, you could hardly even knock that guy over. It's a little sad you know." Vincent said as CJ fell over anime style. He knew it was the truth, but he had expected Vincent to have at least some sympathy. "But that isn't why I'm hurt stupid. I'm hurt because we're both weak. More specifically because my plan sucked and backfired. If anyone's to blame, it's me." He said as CJ looked surprised.

He smiled up towards his partner who ruffled his hair and smiled back. "I still don't think it's your fault but, as long as you think we're both weak we might as well get stronger together." He said as he took out a brownie. He had stolen it form the cafeteria. Vincent had told him it was okay. Something about the food sucking and not being worth paying for. "We're going to have to ask Grandma for way tougher training." He said as Vincent scowled.

He walked back to his room as CJ headed for the vending machine. Right as the black haired teen walked in Teal stepped in front of him glaring at him. He was about to ask what was wrong but she suddenly leaned forward kissing him. He backed up turning red in the face. "This is the second time you ended up injured in one of these battles. I wanted to tell you I liked you before you died." Teal said simply as she walked off. Vincent looked towards her still red and then just walked in his room and laid in bed. He didn't exactly know how to respond and his brain seemed to be stumped.

Right as Teal walked around the corner she leaned against the wall turning redder then anyone had ever seen her before. He seemed like she was going to pass out, but then saw Alice in front of her smiling. "Ah, that was so romantic! I'm jealous! I hope something like that happens when I get older too!" She said amazed at the sight she had seen. Teal suspected she was a girly girl. Alice then grew a serious look on her face as she looked back up towards Teal. "U-um. Could you tell Grace I'm accepting her offer." She said a bit nervously.

Teal looked at her confused but then smiled. She must have been watching their battle with Bushido and Kana. "And also, could you give this to Vincent? I know he's a little mean but I overheard what he did for CJ and I thought he could use it." She said pulling out a robitussin. She then looked down pouting. "I guess CJ can have a little bit if he wants to." She said as Teal smiled down at her.

"Hey! Put that brownie back you furball!" Vincent yelled as CJ suddenly ran away followed by Vincent who was carrying his gun. "I said put it back! You think I won't shoot just because we're in a hospital! I could give a crap about everyone else!" Vincent yelled chasing him down the hallway. He was limping and knew he wouldn't be able top catch up. "You! Silver haired girl whose name escapes me! Go get back my brownie!" He demanded as he kept limping after him.

Teal gave the robitussin back to Alice. "I really think your wasting your kindness here kid." Teal said as loud crashes could be heard down the hall.

"Give me the brownie back!" Vincent's voice yelled followed by four gun shots.

* * *

**A/N: If you reading this message it meant you read the whole chapter, which means i must be a pretty damn good writer for you to read this in one go! Hells yeah! i'm awesoeme!(No just kidding, could you imagine?) This was the longest chapter i've writen so far! I'm a bit proud of it to. Now that I feel i have enough mamodo so far the next few chapters will be building up on the plot, or just some what i like to call 'filler Chapters' which are chapters that while entertaining do nothing to involve the plot! I'll take idea for filler chapers as well. **

**This was a bit of a difficult chapter to write, because I had a lot of idea on whith OC i wanted to use in this chapter. I decided on Chainz and Bushido because I hadn't used them in quite a while. But there will be more OC being introduced later. Some of the upcoming ones will have maybe book owners or mamodo without having actual battles. More of a foreshadowing of what's to come. **


	8. I do NOT!

Vincent practiced the same kick over and over again now that his leg was out of it's stupid cast. He didn't care what those doctors or nurses said, he wanted to hurry up and get back to his training. He would never lose like he did the other day again. "_My way of battling isn't skilled enough. So far I've been letting CJ do his thing so I get a peek at their skills, and then come up with a counter attack. I need to find a way to observe their powers before I challenge them._" He said as the doctor came in astounded at the sight her saw.

"M-Mr. Heart please! You've been straining your body like this ever since you've entered this hospital! If you don't slow down and let your body heal up, then it'll take even longer for you to get out of this hospital! And to be quite honest I want you out! Your more stressful then performing open heart surgery!" He said slapping his forehead as the nurse brought in his lunch behind him.

He stared at her and backed up a bit. She laughed as she took the plate and set it on the bed. "Vincent, your arms are still very injured and you can't afford to keep putting stress on your body like this. Please just sit and let me feed you for once. I won't bite you know." She said as Vincent gritted his teeth and turned away. His hands were shaking, but it couldn't been seen because of the cast covering his arms. "Fine. You can eat on your own if you want, but please try not to push yourself so hard. Your grandmother is worried."

"No she isn't. That's a straight up lie." Vincent concluded dryly. He stopped his kicking practices and then hung his legs over the side of the bed beginning to do pull ups. The doctor would have tried to stop him, but he knew it was pointless by now. He wouldn't stop even if he ended up in this hospital forever. Although that was doubtful. He seemed to be healing even quicker then he predicted, despite his body being stressed out with exercises. "I'm leaving." he said suddenly getting down and jumping to his feet.

The doctor looked shocked. Sure he was healing quickly, but he was still in his cast! "I can't allow you to leave in that type of condition! I already know about your tendency to get into fights! If you end up getting into a fight the way you are know all you wounds will reopen and you'll be a walking blood bath!" He said as Vincent kept on going ignoring him. "V-Vincent! Are you listening to me?" He shouted reaching out to grab him.

The black haired teen stepped to the side holding his foot out and causing the doctor to trip and fall face flat on the floor. He looked up at the teen smiling evilly. "As you can see I'm in more then enough shape to make a fool out of you. I'll be fine, so stop sweating the small stuff. Idiot." He said as he made his way out of the door. As he walked down the hall he saw someone coming towards him. It was Chinchu. He immediately turned around trying to walk away casually.

"Don't even bother trying to run. You've been training hard the last few days and you'd probably be back to normal fighting strength by now, but I heard about your little accident, and I know I could still easily take you in this state." He said as he grabbed the teen by the back of his shirt. "But, I'm not here to tell you how I can totally pwn you right now. I'm here to give you this." He said as he dropped him on the ground and tossed him a piece of paper.

Vincent caught it and looked at it closely. It was a letter, and it was signed from Delilah Heart. He titled his head curiously. Who was Delilah. Suddenly he it seemed to just come to him. Was this letter from his mother? Why? She'd never sent him anything before. He looked up at Chinchu and could tell by the smirk on his face his guess was right. He looked at it closely thinking about weather he should open it or not. "Send it back." He said tossing the piece of paper back to him.

Chinchu tackled him to the ground putting him in a head lock and pinning him to the ground. He then opened the letter and began reading to Vincent. "_Dear Vincent. Sorry I haven't been able to be around more often… or at all for that matter. But I've been watching you and I'm impressed with how much stronger you've gotten since I've last seen you._" Chinchu read.

Vincent scowled and tried to break out of the hold, but was stuck. "The last time she saw me I couldn't even walk! And let me go! Isn't this the type of dramatic thing you should leave up to me to decide. How can you give me the letter then force me to read it?" He asked bitterly.

"_I do not however like that girl you seem to attached to. So I've decided to choose a suitable wife for my son. She's a very famous blade wielder, and had mastered almost every type of bladed weapon known to man. She's more then a suitable bride for you, but I feel that you'd have some complaints, so-"_

"Who wouldn't have complaints after hearing something like that? She can't have not been there since I was born and then scheduled an arranged marriage out of no where! What is this, the 1600's? No freaking way!" He yelled as Chinchu suddenly hit him on the head.

"I'm not done reading ya moron! Listen!" He said as he looked back to the letter. "_So I decided to give you a fair shot to change it. If that girl your so fond of is strong enough to beat her, I'll acknowledge your relationship and cancel the whole thing. However this is a no holds bars fight. If that girl is hurt, neither me or your bride will be held responsible._" He finished as he folded the letter back up. "See, now aren't you glad I read it."

"No! This is terrible, what the heck am I supposed to do? I would have rather just not known about this then have to stress over it now! This sucks!" He shouted as he ran to go get Teal. He needed to warn her before something terrible happened. Chinchu simply looked on and smiled.

"Young love… I miss it." He said as he watched Vincent run off.

* * *

Teal walked down the street casually as always. She thought about going to visit Vincent at the hospital today, but decided not to. Her mother always told her to leave a boy wanting more, and although that typically wasn't her style, her mother was quite the attractive young lady, so she thought she should take her advice. On the other hand her parents were divorced, so what exactly did that account for?

She suddenly heard someone who sounded like they were In pain. She looked around and then realized it was coming from the other side of the fence. She jumped over it and then saw Derrick laying on the ground with Haley kneeling beside him. She rushed over making sure he was okay and then saw him look up at her. "Teal and Haley here for me? I'm on incredibly lucky guy-" Haley hit him on the head since she knew he was now okay.

"Stop trying to flirt already. You think after getting beaten like that you'd keep your mouth shut." Haley said as she lifted the boys arms up. He had a rather nasty cut on his left arm, and it was bleeding out. She ripped off a piece of his shirt and wrapped it around his arm to held stop the blood from pouring out. "That's about all I can do for now. Your lucky that girl only used the back of the blade. It's surprising she managed to cut you with just that, even if it was only once."

"Aren't you supposed to rip off a piece of your shirt?" Derrick asked as he felt the wind whip by and shivered. It was cold out.

"Your taught Derrick, you can handle a little cold. Although that cut looks pretty nasty, lets get you someone where we can treat it." She said as she helped him up.

"I couldn't hardly even touch that girl. Who in the world was she anyhow. She just ask me 'where is he?' and when I asked who she attacked and said I was lying. She used weapons and a different style, but I felt like I was fighting Vincent." He explained as Haley helped him move forward.

Teal looked at the two curiously. Derrick wasn't a martial artist or anything of the sort, but he was tough enough to handle his own in a fight. Whoever beat him couldn't have been some normal person. Or else Derrick would have at the very least been able to put up more of a fight. "Was the girl who beat you, a black girl? Did she have long black hair and a really seriously look on her face?" Teal asked curiously.

"No. She was definitely Japanese. She had two really long pigtails and she was kind of bubbly, and air headed. Why do you ask?" Derrick said looking up towards the girl.

"_It isn't her. Good, if she came back while Vincent was in the hospital he'd be done for._" She thought as she let out a sigh. "No reason. I just wanted to see something, but it's nothing to worry about if it isn't her. I'll take care of this girl for you. Which way did she go?" Teal asked as she stretched her arm out and began walking off.

"W-wait a second! Didn't you hear me? I said it was like fighting Vincent. I've never seen Vince go all out before but I'm guessing it would be like fighting a weak mamodo, which if still pretty tough by human standards. She was more or less around his strength, I know your strong but-"

"I've known Vincent ever since I was a little kid. I watched him and his grandma do amazing stuff for years. Do you think after all these years I'd just sit back and not do anything to catch up to him. I did Haley's training before I even moved away." She said as she lifted her fist showing it to them. She smiled as Haley and Derrick simply watched her walk away. They thought about stopping her, but knew she was even more bull headed then Vincent. Plus, Derrick needed first aid now.

* * *

Kai sat on a park bench and then looked at Alice playing on the swings. Haley made him baby-sit Alice since they thought it would be too dangerous for her to be alone. If a mamodo attacked they would have strength in numbers. "Aren't you going to go play along with her pipsqueak?" Kai asked as he looked up at CJ who was sitting in the tree above him. "I didn't think I'd see you out of the hospital until that guy ether got released or broke out." He said as CJ jumped down beside him.

"I got bored in the hospital and figured I check out what you or Alice was doing. But this place seems to be just as boring. All your doing is watching her sit there and play. Do something interesting." He said crossing his arms and tipped his hat downwards.

"Alice? What happened to grey hair and Oba-chan? When did you two start getting so chummy?" He asked as he smirked at him. CJ pulled his hat downwards covering his face. He didn't even want to bother answering that question. "Hey, why you hiding you face under your hat for? Don't tell me you got a crush on her all of a sudden?" He asked with a hint of amusement.

"S-shut up! She's just as annoying as before. I'm only here to kill the boredom, I shouldn't even have come here. Your just as boring as those nurses as the hospital." He said about to storm off angrily.

"CJ-kun! My legs are to short for the swings, will you push me? Kai-kun said he won't do it since he's only here to watch over me." She asked as Kai smirked towards the brown haired boy. He gritted his teeth and thought about yelling no, but then saw her smiling towards him. He stuffed his hands in his pockets before walking over and beginning to push he on the swings. "Thank you CJ-kun, your usually a lot meaner then this though." She said tilting her head curiously.

Kai smiled at the sight and watched the two. He thought about leaving them, but Haley still would have been angry at him, even if she was with someone else. Besides, even though CJ was strong, he seemed to have the mind of a pigeon. They were screwed if the wrong person attacked them. "Ah, ain't that just the cutest thing. You two look like the sweetest couple." He said smirking as he laid down on the bench.

CJ fumed as Alice blushed lightly. "K-Kai-kun. Please don't joke about things like that. Even if it's a joke my brother would tear someone apart. He told me a big brother supposed to kill a boy his baby sister likes." She explained as Kai raised an eyebrow. So her brother was one of those guys. He never understood why guys would want to fight someone just because they liked their sister. It seemed to troublesome.

"Relax. It's not like your dads even here. I never get what it is with girls and romance. Their so troublesome-" He suddenly felt something on his shoulder. He looked up and saw a girl with green hair wrapped into two long pony tails that nearly went to her knees. She had blue eyes and had a rather slime figure. She wore a black long sleeve sweater and black shorts. "Sorry, did you need something?" Kai asked wearily.

"Actually yes. I'm looking for my fiancé, and someone told me you should know where to find him. Can you please tell me where he is?" She asked as Kai grew a look of surprise. How in the world would he know where her fiancé was? He didn't even know who she was.

"I have literally no idea what your talking about. You should try asking someone else, cause I don't have a clue." He said as he turned back around to keep an eye on the younger mamodo.

She smiled happily but reached in her shirt sleeve for something. "No, the person told me that you definitely knew who he was. You're a liar you know." She said as she suddenly pulled out a Kunai. She swung down and Kai barely avoided the hidden blade as he rolled over into the grass. He quickly hopped up only to find the girl already on his tell. "If you tell me, I promise I won't cut you up to badly." She said cheerily.

Was she just insane, or did he really know who she was talking about and just not know it. She hadn't even tried to point out who it was. He suddenly thought to himself. "Are you talking about Vincent?" He asked. He was the only guy he could think that'd have something this crazy happen to him.

CJ and Alice both looked in surprise when they saw that she nodded her head yes. Kai turned around signaling her to follow until CJ hopped in front of them. "W-wait a second! You can't just lead her right to him! What if she's lying? What if she's really an assassin? Did you even think about Vincent's well being?" CJ said glaring at the girl.

"Well, lets see. I don't like Vincent, and I don't want this girl to cut me. So I don't really give a crap. If I know him by now he's probably broken out of the hospital and is heading home. He should be there. And if he isn't maybe his grandma will help me get away from this chick. C'mon Alice we're leaving." She said as the girl jumped off the swings and ran after her caretaker. The brown haired boy ran after them not believing he was giving in so easily.

* * *

Vincent ran home rushing to beat Teal there. He knew she'd most likely stop by his house to check up on his grandmother, and hopped that whoever this girl was she wouldn't be waiting. He suddenly saw Teal at the door getting ready to open it. He jumped forward he kicked the door back closed. "If you open that door more trouble then we could possibly imagine hit us!" He yelled blocking the door with his body.

Teal tilted her head and looked at him curiously. It didn't seem like he was scared so much as worried…? No, guilty? What was he hiding inside that house. "Move." She demanded with a bit of anger in her voice. She didn't think it was a girl, knowing about his phobia, but there was plenty of things he had tried to hide from her when they were little. "You can move, or I can knock you through to door."

"Teal, I think we both know after yesterday you like me too much to actually knock me through a door-" She threw a fist hitting him right in the nose and knocking him right through the door. He hit the ground and grabbed his back in pain. "Ah, holy crap I landed on the door knob!" He yelled rolling over in pain.

Teal walked in and saw Kai, Alice, and CJ on the couch. All of them were eating all eating… chocolate? CJ smiled and looked over towards Vincent. "I was a little skeptical at fist, but you mom knows how to pick them. Maybe you should marry this girl. Unless Teal knows how to cook really well… and make chocolate." He said licking his lips.

Vincent turned around and looked towards Teal was glaring daggers at him. "Teal, I swear on my grandmother's grave, I can explain this. My mom sent a girl whose supposed to be my fiancé and-" Teal once again punched him in the face sending him to the ground. He expected that. "Wow, being in a relationship is really painful…" He said as he rubbed his nose.

"I know we're knew at this whole boyfriend girlfriend concept, but lets try that again shall we? Now what exactly is going on here?" She asked cracking her knuckles. Vincent looked up at her hesitant to speak. He'd rather not be hit again.

"The boys telling the truth. His mother sent her own hand picked choice of a bride home to marry him. Apparently she doesn't like his choice in women." Vincent's Grandma said as she made her way down the stairs. Teal seemed a little offended at this. What was wrong with her? "You want to stop her, then you have to beat her in a fight." She said simply as she grabbed the remote from Kai's hand. He didn't argue remembering what happened last time they fought for the remote.

Suddenly they saw the girl from the park walk from the kitchen. She had on a apron and held a trey of cookies in her hand. "Oh, your home already. I thought you were supposed to be released from the hospital in a week. It doesn't matter I guess. It's nice to meet you, I'm Marcy." She said smiling at him.

The first thing Vincent thought when he saw this girl was 'evil'. He could see right under that warm smile and sensed an extremely dangerous aura around her. "I'm going to freaking kill you!" Teal yelled pulling her sleeve up. Vincent turned around holding her back as she attempted to get past him. "She's the girl Derrick said beat her up! I remember how he described her! And if that's not bad enough she thinks she's your fiancé!"

"I know your angry, pretty much everyone can see it actually, but you have to calm down! She's dangerous and-" He looked at Teal who was giving him one of her looks. He stopped and backed up allowing her to pass.

"Ah, you must be that homely girl who Mrs. Heart told me about. If you really want to fight me, then I have no problems with it. If you by chance win then you'll be acknowledged as a suitable bride for the Hearts. But I won't let that happen." she said smirking evilly.

She then looked surprised as she saw Teal staring out into the air. "Vincent Bride? As in being married to Vincent?" She said blushing.

"This is not the time!" Vincent yelled snapping her out of her daydreaming.

* * *

Teal and Marcy stood in front of each other ready to fight. "I'm refereeing, and if things get to out of hand then I'm stepping in." Vincent said glaring at Marcy. "The rules are, kick Marcy's ass." He instructed bitterly as the girl simply blew a kiss at him. He shivered. She reminded him too much of _her_.

The two nodded and then stood in front of each other. When Vincent said go both backed up immediately taking a fighting stance. Teal took her regular boxing stance, and Marcy took out two Kunai taking a stance Vincent didn't seem to recognize. "You can bring out all the weapons you want, but I'm still going to win." Teal said smirking at her.

Teal moved forward punching at the girl, but she easily dodged her fist and swung one of her knifes at her. Teal leaned back, but the tip of the knife grazed he cheek leaving a cut. Vincent was about to step in, but his grandma grabbed his shoulder. "She knew about this already. If she wanted to quite she would have by now. Just let the fight go on." She said as Vincent scowled.

Teal seemed to be struggling landing even a single blow on the girl. But at least her blood wasn't all over the backyard. She was doing alright for fighting barehanded. Marcy swung once more and Teal leaned back dodging the blade and then swinging upwards managing to hit her target right in the chin. Marcy backed up rubbing her chin and then glared at Teal. She had just been messing with her before, she never expected her to actually hit him.

"I'm going to cut you up so badly people will think it's a joke that your even trying to become a bride." She said as she dropped her Kunai and took out two Katana. She charged at Teal who was smirking as she back up slowly. She knew anger was good, in some cases. But in boxing if you couldn't' channel that anger it'd through you completely off your game.

Marcy swung the Katana at her, but Teal ducked. Marcy then jumped back expecting another uppercut from the girl. This time she would take her arm off. But suddenly she felt another blow to her chin. She looked up and saw that Teal had stepped forward and then flung the back of her head up hitting her right in the chin. Marcy tried to jump back, but nearly fell over. She looked down and saw Teal had stepped on one of her pigtails.

"In boxing things like stepping on others feet and head butts are illegal, but since this isn't in the ring, I can use any means necessary." She said as she swung hitting Marcy right in the nose. She didn't let up and kept on swinging. She wasn't going to let this chance to take he down slip away. Teal used one last uppercut and hit Marcy right on the chin.

Marcy stumbled back but managed to stay on her feet. She was hit, but defiantly not down. Teal grunted but didn't think about giving up. Suddenly she felt weak in the knees. She fell down to her knees and then began breathing heavily. "Any two bit weapon master would know to poison all of their weapons before they go into battle. I managed to scratch you about three of four times." Marcy said smiling.

Suddenly she felt dizzy herself. She grabbed her head and grunted in pain. Teal smiled knowing what was happening. "You took to many blows to the head. You may not have realized it, but you took a lot of damaged. Your brains all rattled up now lightweight." She said as she managed to force herself to her feet. Marcy scowled at her before once again feeling a throb of pain hit her head. Teal smiled a few more second before suddenly blacking out.

* * *

After a few hours both Teal and Marcy had awoken and everyone explained to them that they had both passed out at the same time. Marcy had apparently been told in the event of a draw she would have to come back to Vincent's mother for more training, but she made it clear she would definitely be back.

Teal looked for Vincent who everyone said ran away as soon as they got knocked out. It was clear he was still afraid of being hit, but she looked on in the one place she knew he was hiding. "The roof? Really? That's such a cliché place to hide you know." She said as he scowled down towards her. "I'm not going to hit you anymore… well no more today. But if you do something else to piss me off I'll hit you."

Vincent smirked as she made her way up beside him. "I'm not so much afraid of you as mad at my mom. Who in the world does she think she is anyhow? I never even met the woman and she's running around setting up arranged marriages. This is crap." He said bitterly as he let out a sigh.

She pulled on his cheek stretching it out as far as she could. "Your whining, that's not like you at all. You know just how your family is like, so this shouldn't surprise you. Just be glad there's people willing to deal with it." She said as Vincent frowned. This was a habit of hers ever since they were little. When he complained she treated his cheeks as if they were rubber. "Oh, and even if I lose, you marry her, and I'll kill you." She said warned still smiling at him.

Miles away from where they were they hadn't noticed his mother was watching them. Marcy stood behind her smiling. "You did a good job Marcy. Arrnaged marriages are out of style, but it was a good enough farce to see what that girl was made of. I'm proud that my Vincent knows a good women when he sees one. I couldn't bare it if he married some weakling." She said smiling to herself. "But next time the test will be directed towards him. And I'll be the one to test him." She said smirking.

* * *

Derrick looked towards the wall in Haley's living room as Kai flip through the channels. He gritted his teeth and then grabbed Haley's arm as she walked past. "Haley, that girl today beat me way to easily. I couldn't even have protected you if I wanted to." he said a little disappointed. "Would you forgive me for being weak?" He asked grabbing her hands in his own.

She blushed slightly and looked down away from him. "W-what the heck are you going on about? Stop talking nonsense you idiot." She said as she pulled her hand away.

"Yes! I thought since my charms didn't work on that girl or Teal I was losing it, but if I can still make Haley-chan blush then I'm still-" Kai heard nothing but a loud thump and then looked to see Haley walking towards her room and Derrick knocked out on the couch.

He shrugged his shoulder and then turned back towards the TV. "Girls may be troublesome, but most of the guys I know are dumb asses." He concluded.

* * *

**A/N: YO! Long time no see Kohai's(And maybe Senpai... haven't met any Senpai yet, but just in case) Anyhow I hope you enjoyed what was the first of the upcoming 'filler chapters'. Remember, these chapters are meant to help set up the plot for the future. Some of them are just for fun. This one was to set up a link between Vincent and his mother, who will be playing a bigger role later in the story. **

**These thigns were actually a lot hard to come up with then I thought. At first my problem was deciding which ones to go with first.(I started on one Chapter about CJ getting into Jump roping, another about Vincent and Teal's first date, and another about Alice's training with Grace.) I couldnt' decide which one to go with first, but i figured i would start off with this one. Any suggestions about which chapter, or any idea about a filler chapter are totally welcomed. **

**I got a lot of time off lately, so I can get a few chaps up. Hoping others will get some update time to. I really want to hear your opinion on the filler chapters since I don't want it to... to end up like Naruto filler episodes... their just terrible, i won't have it. Remmebr to Read and Review(Or else i'll haunt your nightmares...)**


	9. A day at the park, gone horribly wrong

CJ bit off a piece of his cookie and smiled happily. As harsh as she was in training, grandma made some awesome cookies. He reached into his bag only to find another hand inside. "Hey! Those are mine! She made them for me! Where did yours go?" CJ asked angrily as he attempted to pull the bag away from his partner. Unfortunately the teen didn't have any plans on letting go of his catch.

"Ate e'm." Vincent at simply as he snatched the bag away from him. He took only one before dropping the bag back to the toddler. CJ pulled on his shirt while demanding an apology from the older boy. "Fine, I'm sorry I took one cookie from you when I'm letting you live in my house and helping you to become king, when I could just burn the book and be done with you and this battle."

"Well when you put it like that you make it seem like a I owe you something!" He said bitterly as he reached in for another cookie. Vincent picked up a towel wiping his sweat off his forehead and then hopped to his feet heading out of the gate. Training was done for today, so he was free to do whatever he wanted. CJ noticed him leaving and smiled. "Where you headed? Going to go make out with Teal?" CJ taunted making kissing sounds.

Vincent turned around throwing the half eaten cookie right at CJ and then striking him in the forehead and causing him to fall. "There's the cookie back chump." Vincent said as he left out of the gate. Honestly CJ had hit right on the money, but he wasn't about to be upended by a toddler. "Your little girlfriends coming." Vincent said as he kicked the Gate back open allowing Alice to run in.

She glared at him for a bit blushing but quickly turned back around and headed for CJ who was still rubbing his head. "I'm not his girlfriend! Oh, and can you tell Teal I said hi? That is if you have time between kissing!" Alice added slyly as she stuck her tongue out. Vincent turned around about to go after her, but she kicked the door closed and ran as fast as she could towards CJ. It had taken her awhile to think up of that comeback, and she was rather proud of it. Not she just needed one for Kai.

CJ rubbed the cookie crumbs out of his eyes before looking at Alice who had bandages in various spots on her face. She had a couple of cuts and bruises on her arms and legs to. "What happened to you? Did you get into a fight with another mamodo?" He asked as he looked over the girls who pushed his face upwards.

"It's rude to stare at a girl like that. And no, I've just been doing some training of my own while you guys have been here. Grace-Nee had been training me for the last couple of weeks." She said as she hopped up on the wooden bench beside him. He held his bag of cookies out offering her one and she gladly accepted.

"Training? Why are you going through training. You seemed really tough the last time we fought. And you held your own against Grace too. You shouldn't have to train, your strong enough as it is." He said through a mouth full of cookies.

"I was struggling when I was fighting against Grace last time. And if I'm going to have a chance at winning this thing I need to keep on getting stronger. I can't just wait until someone stronger shows up and then decide to train. It'll be to late by then." She said swinging her legs back and forth on the bench.

"I understand you wanting to get stronger, but I'll be the one to become king in the end you know. But don't worry, you can become the head of the guards or whatever they call it once I become King." He said leaning back and looking up into the air. "I'll make sure Nana moves into a big castle along with all the other kids. Me Nii-chan and Onee-sama. I want all of us to never have to have any worries again." He said smiling.

Alice looked at him for a few seconds and then rubbed her chin. "I never asked this because it never really crossed my mind, but is the reason you want to become king just so you can make sure your Nana lives some place nice?" She asked curiously.

The brown haired toddler adjusted his hat and sat up. "Onee-sama told me that we just ended up wondering into Nana's village one day. I was too young to remember how the three of us even met, so I don't' really remember anything specific. As far back as I can think we were Nana's kids. Us and all the other kids there. She treated us like she was our real mother. I want to pay her back for taking us in, and make things easier on her." He said smiling happily. "And you? Why do you want to become king?"

Alice looked at him for a few seconds before frowning. She wondered If she should tell him of not, but then decided she might as well since he told her his dream. "My clan is the silver clan. We're in charge of protecting the King's land from underground organizations trying to threaten the king. Lately there's been a clan whose outright challenged us." She said looking down.

"Challenging the Silver clan? Are they dedicated of just plain dumb?" CJ asked tilting his head. He knew her clan was one of the most fearsome powers in their world. Getting their attention was like having the government bring the hammer down on you. There was almost no way to escape them, and they were way to powerful as a whole to shut down.

Alice shook her head yes and then sighed. "For a few years now father has been trying to avoid a full on war with the clan, but we can't even get in contact with the clans head, so negotiations about ending this feud hasn't even been an option. We're usually quiet and subtle about out business, and we don't want to go into an all out war. But our options are thinning. And my brother says we'll have to fight eventually."

"I don't get it. I have to agree with your brother on this one you know. Sometimes having to go all out is necessary. Aren't you going all out in trying to become king?" CJ asked.

She shook her head furiously and balled her fist up. "I know it looks like our backs are against the wall, but there has to be another way! If my brother takes head of the clan we'll be in an all out war, so I'm going to become King and force our clans to stop this feud! I'm only becoming more powerful to stop more people form getting hurt! There's a difference!" She said staring at him sternly.

CJ took another cookie from his bag knowing it was the last one. "I understand how you feel about this whole thing Alice, but if you ask me…" He quickly swung his claw slicing the cookie right in half and handing one half to the girl beside him. "Force is necessary. I think it's pretty noble of you, but if it were Vincent or Grandma, they'd probably say you were being way to soft." He said as she puffed up at him.

She ate her half of their treat as he broke his in two with his fingers. He used to share snacks like this with the other kids back home, so it was kind of instinct to split his snacks in half or even fourths depending on what everyone was sharing. "Hey, lets go to the park!" Alice shouted as she stood up. "The mood gotten all tense all of a sudden, since we're both done training we should relax! Lets go play!" She shouted as she ran off. "Race you!"

CJ scowled as he got up running after her. Did she think because she got a head start she'd be able to out run him? Fat chance, he was the fastest thing on two, or four legs. He ran forward easily passing her as she looked in disbelief. He heard her shout a 'not fair' at him, but he wasn't about to slow down.

* * *

CJ jumped up snatching the football out of the air and then landed on his feet smirking to himself. He hadn't understood why Derrick loved this game so much, but now he was starting to understand. The rush he felt when catching and throwing the ball was a bit fun to enjoy. He leaned back and then tossed it back to Alice who jumped up and caught it exactly how Derrick taught her. "Catching this is easy compared to how Derrick throws." She said chuckling.

The brown haired boy frowned at that comment and then caught the ball as it was thrown back to him. "That's not fair, Derrick is way older then me, and he does this stuff all the time. Today is the first day I've even held one of these things." He said tossing it back as hard as he could. It whizzed through the air and Alice eventually stopped running for it. She watched as it headed towards a boy walking down the side walk.

It struck him in the head and he fell over on his side. CJ and Alice both jumped a bit surprised. They looked at each other thinking about running. As CJ turned to run he noticed Alice was running to go check on the boy. He turned back around with a sigh and followed her. "Are you okay?" Alice asked worriedly.

The boy was around 15 and was about 5'7" tall. He had slick grey hair down to his ears, two piercings in both ears, a black leather vest with a white cobra on his back and he

wore no shirt underneath. He was very muscular with large, ripped arms and an 8-pack. He also wore black gloves on his hands, dark blue jeans, and black boots. "Ouch, you guys need to be more careful when playing you know." The boy said rather grumpily.

As CJ looked closely at him his could hear his heart beating heavily. This boy had a abnormal feeling around him. It was different, yet nostalgic. He felt that he had seen this boy somewhere before. He reached forward grabbing Alice's arms and pulling her back and away from the boy. "CJ-kun! Why are you pulling me? What's the matter?" She asked curiously.

He glared at the boy angrily and then tried to pull Alice away, but she pulled back showing she was going nowhere. "H-he's a mamodo. And he's a dangerous one. You need to leave right now. I'll keep him here." CJ said as he prepared to charge. As he ran forward he saw Alice grab the back of his shirt and then pull him back. "A-Alice! Let go!" he shouted annoyed.

She stared at him a bit annoyed and then let go once she knew she had his attention. "You can't just say it's too dangerous for me and then go charging in head first yourself. Besides, without Vincent here you can't fight by yourself." She said as she stepped forward ready to fight as well. CJ looked at her in disbelief. "Don't ask me to run away and leave a friend."

He stopped for a second realizing she said the word friend. He quickly brushed it off realizing they were still in a deep situation. He stepped in front of her and smirked. "Stupid! If you stay here you'll only have to watch me beat up this stupid guy! Your to soft and your probably start saying we should go easy on him or something! Besides, you'll only end up slowing me down! Get lost!" He said bitterly.

She glared at him then hit him on the head. "Shut up! This guy is way to strong for you by yourself, besides, you couldn't even beat the last guy you fought and your still injured! How are you supposed to beat someone like this by yourself?" She asked placing her hands on her hips.

"AH! I'm a man! Men do stupid things and always turn out fine in the end! It'll be fine, like in One Piece or Naruto or Bleach! Everything will work out if I act stupid!" He shouted at the top of his lungs.

She one again punched him on the head and grabbed his shirt. "Your stupid! You can't compare something like this to an Anime or Manga! Are you out of your mind!" She yelled as CJ looked up at the boy who was walking away.

He reached behind him and picked up a rock, then hurled it striking the boy in the back of the head. "Don't walk away from me bastard!" CJ shouted as Alice looked in disbelief.

She prayed the boy would ignore him and keep walking, but he then turned around with a scowl on his face. "Y-y-you idiot! He was going to leave us alone! Why would you do that!" She yelled shaking him back and forth.

"He was disrespecting me. Who the heck does he think he is?" CJ said glaring at the older boy who was now walking towards them. He didn't like the look he had in his eyes. It was again a different yet familiar feeling. He had an uncanny resemblance to someone, someone right on the top of his mind, yet he couldn't make the connection. "That guy looks just like that snake kid we ran into the other day!" He said balling his fist up.

The boy looked a bit surprised and then pointed towards CJ. "Someone who looks like me? I can only assume your talking about my brother. Where is he?" The boy demanded glaring at him angrily.

"Brothers? Ah, so that's why you two look so alike." He said walking forward only to be pulled back by Alice. He growled and turned back towards her with a questioning look on his face. "Why are you stopping me?" He asked annoyed.

"I didn't realize it at first, but this is Slash from the cobra clan! He's one of the top contenders for the kings spot! We need to get out of here right now before-"

"I'm not going to get any stronger by just running away! You should probably run away, but I'm not going anywhere!" He shouted as she charged at the older boy as fast as he could. He raised his fist but suddenly turned to the left sprinting away from him. Slash raised an eyebrow at him for a second when he suddenly realized CJ was now heading off to the right.

He was zipping around every which way to try and lose Slash's gaze. He began jumping of the trees in the park and springing around and Alice could only make out a blur moving around the park. She balled her fist up knowing she couldn't leave him. Then looked over at Slash who had his eye locked on CJ. He wasn't even close to losing him, but maybe she could use then. She rushed at him at full speed ready to swing. Even if he saw her at least CJ could have an opening.

Right as she jumped up and swung her fist right at his face he raised his hand catching her fist. "Wild Cub huh? I didn't think I'd see the Silver clans precious little girl out here on the battle field." He said as he tossed her to the side. He then jumped off into the air and chopped down hitting CJ right in the back of his neck and sending him crashing to the ground. "Got no idea who you are though." He said honestly.

CJ rubbed the back of his neck wondering how this guy managed to catch him. He was moving at full speed just now. "You'll know me by the time I'm done with you!" He shouted as he jumped up punching and kicking at Slash who easily dodged and blocked the boys assault.

Although CJ hadn't realized how he had gotten caught, Alice know all to well. Without his ability to boost himself he couldn't change direction in mid air. He timed his jumped perfectly and then struck CJ in mid air while he couldn't change direction. "If you know where my brother is I'd suggest you spill It before I have to get serious. You don't seem like the guy who wouldn't rat out his friend, as far as I can tell anyhow." Slash said as he kicked back CJ and then tightened his gloves.

The brown haired boy hopped back up to his feet and then gritted his teeth. "You think that stupid guy is my friend? Your even dumber then he is. And it's not my job to keep tabs on your brother. Find him yourself." CJ said with a smirk on his face. Slash glared at him for a few seconds before breaking out in a smirk himself.

"I don't hate guys like you. You got spunk kid. But unless you got the power to back it up it all goes down the drain." He said as he charged forward raising his fist. CJ leaned back but could still feel the massive force that was put behind his punch. This guy hadn't even hit him seriously yet. He grabbed onto his arm and bit his knuckled. Slash began shaking his fist around painfully. "OW! OW! Let go you sewer rat!" He yelled as he lifted his arm around to slam CJ to the ground.

Alice suddenly came from behind and punched Slash right in the back of the head. The boy fell forward and slid against the ground a few feet as CJ jumped back to Alice's side. He looked at the silver haired girl who was panting nervously. "I-I actually hit him." She said in disbelief. She had heard Slash rivaled even her brother in terms of power, but she actually knocked him down. "I-I did it!" She yelled pumping his fist in the air.

"Your pretty strong to be so young. But since your missing speed and he's missing power your both at a disadvantage." Slash said as he got up wiping his cheek. There was a bit of dust on his face, and a small bruise. "You actually bruising my face is proof that your Great Kuma's little sister alright." He said as he stepped forward. "I should probably take you out first."

He rushed at Alice who back up putting her guard up and bracing herself. He punched at her but she leaned to the side grabbing his arm. He was a bit impressed he could catch him, but knew she screwed up when she tried to throw him. She couldn't budge him an inch. He was about to kick forward when suddenly he saw CJ doing and hand stand on Alice's shoulders. He spun around and kicked Slash right in the chin.

He then jumped forward as Slash stumbled back and tried to drop kick him finishing the attack. But Slash easily snatched his foot from the air and then began to swing him around by his ankle. He hurled him right into Alice and the two rolled back on the ground, but quickly got back up. As they looked up they saw Slash up in the air with his fist raised and coming right down towards them.

CJ grabbed Alice's hand and rushed off moving them out of the way. When Slash slammed into the ground the two could see a huge crater in the ground left by the boys fist. Alice gulped nervously at the display of pure strength. She had hoped she was at least evenly matched with the boy, but he was more of a powerhouse then she was. She then realized they had a chance of escape. They were distanced enough to make a run for it from here. Just as she was about to turn around CJ rushed by her heading right towards Slash.

She couldn't believe he was still willing to fight after what she just saw. Was he extremely brave or just plain stupid? Something was seriously wrong with this boy, and she wondered if she should simply run and get help. No, she couldn't just leave him here by himself. But she didn't even have a chance of catching him off guard. She wasn't nearly as fast as CJ was.

Suddenly she remembered something. She grew a determined look on her face as she charged at Slash at full speed. Slash who was blocking the barrage of punches and kicks quickly noticed Alice and then knocked CJ once again. Slash slung his fist back stepping forward prepared to swing.

"_This isn't fair! I can't spar with you, your too strong!" _

"_The lesson for today is how to deal with someone stronger and faster then you." _

Alice could hear her and Grace's voices from the other day going off inside of her head as she charged at Slash. She let out a breath preparing to put her teachings into action.

"_Most people are who are way stronger could finish you in one hit, but usually they know better then to waste all their power in one shot. Plus they want to scope out the enemy." _

"_So what does that have to do with taking them out?" _

"_Take a hit." _

"_What?" _

"_Take a hit, and that's when they let their guard down. Then keep them from moving and finish them off there. It's a pretty simple, but normally effective plan. It's only wasting time if you get into their game, so just make it easier on yourself and take a hit." _

"_B-but how do I know if I'll be able to take the hit. What if he's way to strong and I end up getting knocked out instead?" _

Alice braced herself as Slash swung and punched her right in the side of her face. CJ grew wide eyed seeing this as he watched Alice stumble back. "Alice!" He yelled as he began to get up and rush over.

"_Take the hit anyhow. Truth is you'll never know if you can still stand after the hit or not. But it's better then spending half an hour getting the snot kicked out of you. Half of being a brawler is taking gambles in a fight. Gamble big win big, and if you lose… well you just lost." _

Right as Alice was about to fall over she suddenly snapped back up grabbing Slash's arm and grew a wide smile on her face. "I fooled you!" She said swinging Slash up into the air and slamming him to the ground. She then began tightening her grip in an attempt to break his arm. Slash looked surprised at this and began flexing his arms keeping it from being snapped. He then stood up and began trying to fling her off. "I won't let go!"

Slash lifted his arm beginning to swing it down trying to slam her to the ground, when suddenly CJ attacked from the side landing a kick right in his rib cage. He then began kicking rapidly trying to distract him as best as he could. Slash grabbed his ankle and then lifted both of them up in the air. "You two are definitely living up toy our names, but your way to inexperienced to keep up with me." He said sighing.

Alice kept her grip but it was obvious she couldn't out power the boy. And CJ couldn't reach his target, not to mention he was now trapped. Still, he feebly swung at the older boy attempting to break free. Suddenly felt himself being thrown away and landed swiftly on his feet. He then saw Slash pry Alice of his arm and throw her as well. He ran forward catching the girl in his arms and nearly falling over.

As CJ looked down he could see Alice was holding her head and seemed to be losing consciousness. He gritted his teeth as he turned to make a run for it. "All you crap you gave me and now your going to run?" Slash said as he jumped in front of CJ. "I know you can't outrun me while you carrying her. So what are you going to do?" He asked with a bit of an amused smirk.

CJ looked at him angrily trying to think of a plan. He then tossed Alice up in the air as high as he could. Slash looked up and then felt two feet kick him right in the chest. CJ then bounced off the older boy and caught Alice once again. He landed on his feet and then rushed out of the park at full speed. After a few minutes he looked back to see if Slash was still tailing him and was sure it was clear, but he kept running anyhow. It was one thing to fight someone as powerful as Slash, but he couldn't risk Alice getting anymore banged up. Was this his fault? Maybe they should have run.

He then fell to his knees exhausted from running. He had gotten more injured then he thought he had. He was tired from carrying Alice and he had been running non stop for at least ten minutes. He made it halfway home, but still had a way to go. He had to get Alice some help before things got dangerous. He struggled to get to his feet, but couldn't seem to. "Just a little bit more." He muttered before beginning to black out. He could swear he saw someone was standing over them, but who could it have been this late at night?

* * *

Back at the park Slash was dusting himself off. He couldn't believe that kid did something so reckless, but he also couldn't lie. It caught him way off guard. The kid was like something you saw in the circus. He thought about going after them, but he had better things to do, so he simply let them go. "Have fun beating up on my little brother?" A voice asked from above. Slash didn't even bother looking up as he straightened up his vest.

"Your brothers a handful. I can't believe he actually made me work to pin him down. He was a little more then I expected. Not surprising for one of Nana's trio though." He said as he looked up at a girl who was crouching on a nearby tree branch. The girl had long red hair tied into a pony tail that went down to her waist. But besides her brown colored eyes Slash couldn't see anything else. Her ninja costume covered the rest of her slim figure.

"I'm glad you had the sense not to try anything funny. I would have hated to have to step in on his behalf. He's strong, but against someone of your level he can't really do much but he knocked around." She said as she jumped down from the tree and landed gracefully on her feet. She brushed the front of her hair from her eyes as she looked over in the direction CJ ran. "He won't make it far, I should probably follow him."

"Stop babying him. Your tough as nails on the other one and he's almost as strong as we are, so just let him struggle on his own for a bit." Slash said as he grabbed onto his mouth. After a few seconds he began coughing and then spat up a little blood. The girl looked surprised then formed a smirk under her mask.

"Are you okay?" She asked with just the smallest hint of amusement, but he did manage to catch it in her tone.

He glared at her as he grabbed his side. "When that girl slammed me it hurt, but I didn't feel any injuries. I think when your little brother kicked me both their attacks added up and I ended up with… feels like two broken ribs. It's nothing." He assured as he coughed up a bit more blood.

"I know it's nothing, I've seen you go through much worst and walk away like nothing happened. I honestly envy the durability and pain tolerance you have. But the fact my little brother and the silver girl actually injured you, we should really keep an eye on them. And a certain other someone." She said looking towards him.

Slash scowled knowing full well the girl was talking about his little brother. "Lets go." he said simply as he walked off with her right in pursuit. He didn't even want to consider using his little brother as means of back up. No matter how desperate their future problems got he'd never sink so low as to accept him as partner. In fact if it wasn't for their current problem he'd have sent him home by now. "Oh, and don't worry about the brats. That big lump of stupid should be taking them home."

"Bou? Is it alright to leave him alone with them. I doubt he had any evil intentions, but he might accidentally crush them." She asked hiding the concern in her voice.

"He's not that clumsy. He's a big emotionless wall, but he knows how to control his powers at least. Besides, his book owners with him too. What I'm wondering is when the day someone stupid enough to piss him off is going to show up. I've never seen him fight seriously before, you?" Slash asked.

She nodded her head. "I fought him once. I beat him but it was probably only because of he doesn't really think tactically in battle." She said letting out a sigh. "Still, the frightening thing is that he has nearly enough pure strength to make up for his lack of battle sense. Even I'd have to say he plays out the role of 'monster' perfectly." She admitted.

* * *

Vincent sat on the roof with looking straight up into the air. He scowled as he wondered what was taking CJ so long. He wasn't going to admit it, but he was worrying about the boy. He usually scurried home to get something to eat by now. Thoughts of him being attacked began to run through his head. Derrick had called earlier and apparently Alice hadn't come home yet ether.

"Stupid kid, what the heck is taking him." He muttered gritting his teeth. He then heard knocking on the door. He crawled over to the edge of the ring and peeked over the edge. He was shocked to see there were two people at the door. One was actually knocking the door, and the other was holding both CJ and Alice under his arms.

The one holding CJ and Alice was tall, about 7,4. He was also incredibly bulky and his muscles could easily be seen through his green shirt. He had on blue jeans, a black pair of shoes, and also had short blue ruffled up hair. The guy was practically a giant? This had mamodo written all over it.

The other was a girl though. She had long curly blond hair that went down to her mid back and bright blue eyes. She wore a blue tee and white shorts, along with blue high heels and blue wrist bands. She was certainly pretty, but the thing that stuck out to him most was those curls. Something about the curls in her hair made him shutter with fear. "I don't know who she is, but something about her is really strange. The big one, he had to be a mamodo, whish means CJ and Alice were dumb enough to get caught." He said glaring down at them.

Suddenly the girls vision shot up and she was staring right at him with a smirk. "I see you. Although you did an excellent job keeping quiet up there I could see you in the reflection of this." She said kicking a pebbles inside a nearby puddle. Vincent gritted his teeth cursing himself for watering the lawn today of all days. Usually he just lied and said he did it.

He jumped down in front of the two and thought about his odds. The girl didn't seem like much, but she was observant enough to spot him so he assumed she had some skill, and the boy, he'd be tough enough to deal with on his own. And since they had both Alice and CJ as hostages he was at even more of a disadvantage. "So, you spotted me. But since this is my house and technically you're the invaders you wouldn't mind me asking what you and brick house are doing here?" He asked.

She chuckled as she arrogantly stuck her nose towards him. "I did just come to return these…" She said as she signaled towards her partner who tossed Alice and CJ to Vincent. He quickly caught them and set them down behind him making sure they were okay. Besides a few scratches CJ was fine, but Alice had a nasty looking concussion. "But not that I know you're here things should be a lot more interesting." She said smirking deviously.

"Are you another person my mother sent. Sorry but I'm not playing her games, no matter what she sent you for I'm going to be the one to beat you down. Get lost." He said glaring angrily at her. When she saw the look in his eyes she seemed to grow angry as well.

"Don't you stare at me with those goddamned eyes again. I've got have a mind to snap your spine in two." She muttered angrily. The word 'again' hung in his mind. He had met this person before, but where. She was so familiar yet he couldn't get it. "You know where Teal is don't you? Tell me or else I just have to beat you to scare her out."

He now remembered her fully, this girl was… "K-Keri?" He asked nervously as she grew a wide smile on her face.

"Monsieur correcte." She said in the most fluent French accent Vincent had ever heard. She brushed he hair back still smirking as Vincent who now stuck his hands in his pockets. Keri Lepuré was the girl who constantly picked on him in grade school. Ironically she was also the only reason Vincent and Teal became friends. "Où est la Sarcelle?"

"What?"

"where is Teal?"

"Not telling."

"I could snap you in two."

"I'm packing heat."

"Tell me!"

"Naw."

"Bah!" Keri turned around angrily as she began storming off. She would have gotten it out of Vincent, but she had other things to worry about now. Angie and Slash were waiting for them and they needed to get back soon. She suddenly stopped as an idea wondered through her head. "But I think Rachel would be very interested in seeing you again. You've become quite the man, I must tell her to stop by and visit you. Well it's getting late, come Bou." She said as she walked off with the tall boy in pursuit.

Vincent grew wide eyed when he heard those words. He balled his fist up and then charged at the girl. "You bastard!" He yelled as the girl turned around smirking at him. He jumped at her about to swing his fist, when suddenly Bou raised his knee hitting him right in the stomach. Vincent flew back hitting the ground hard and then coughed and gasped for air as he attempted to get back to his feet.

"Who asked you to interrupt Bou?" Keri asked glaring at the larger boy.

"Angie-san said not to get into any fights." The boy said simply as he reached down picking up the girl and slinging her over his shoulder. He began walking off as she struggled to break free.

"Put me down! He attacked us first technically so we should be able to fight back! I want to know where that tomboyish brute of a girl is!" She yelled kicking and screaming as they walked off. The boy seemed to just ignore her as he continued walking on. "Ne crois pas que ce n'est plus! Je vais me venger sur vous et sarcelle! Mark mes paroles vous morceau de détritus urbains! Ce n'est pas fini!"

Vincent hadn't understood a word she was shouting at him, but he did hear one thing. If _She_ was back in town he had to be more prepared then ever. "Things have just gone from bad to worst. Why is it that when things even start to look positive everything takes a spiral downwards! This is killing me!" he shouted punching his fist into the ground. "Just once can something in my life not blow up right in my face!"

* * *

**A/N: YO my peoples! It's good to be back! Sorry for the supa long update, but… I was lazy, I had a cramp, I had writers block, it was cold outside, my computer blew up! … okay only half of that true… maybe like 30%. I wanted to take the advice of making a comedy with Alice and CJ, but for some reason I just couldn't find the right way to make them mix comically, but I also didn't want to make this some lovey dovey chapter between them, which is why i threw Slash in to mix it up. Anyhow I'm hoping everyone likes the new character being introduced. I'm pretty proud of Bou and Keri. that, and now that Rachel is back things are going to get heavy. Who is Rachel? Most of you obviously already know, but for those who don't, you'll just have to find out. And for those who do know, we have a little saying where i come from. Stitches are for punks, but snitches get shot! **

**I can't wait for you to see Bou's spell(s). I'm wondering who'll guess what their based off of. Anyone who wants to use him… you can just ask I guess. As for Keri, I don't know any French, but I do know how to use google translate. And so I leave you with this. Si vous avez vraiment pris le temps de regarder tout ça, alors vous vous ennuyez l'éther de votre esprit ou tout simplement comme l'utilisation de google translate comme je le fais! euh ... Triple H va battre l'Undertaker. Ouais, je l'ai dit!**

**One last thing! Anyone who knows wrestling well knows that Triple H is going to take on the Undertaker on Sunday. I'm putting my money on the Game! Undertaker's is officially going 18-1 after this weekend! His streak is going down! Anyone else want the game to stain the streak?**


	10. Hell on Earth part 1

Vincent balled his fist up and punched the tree before him once more. Why did all of this have to happen now. It was one thing for Keri to come back, that was just an unpleasant inconvenience. But for her to bring a mamodo with her, and one that was so powerful. Not to mention that Rachel was now back, and seeing that she knew Keri somehow he could only assume the worst.

This whole mess might have been avoided had CJ just not ran into Slash. But he couldn't really blame him for that. He couldn't blame anyone. CJ had to have his ankle snapped back in place, which Vincent easily did himself. He fought back tears for a few minutes but the little brown haired boy turned out fine. Alice on the other hand had gotten off a little worst. The head injury wasn't serious, but she'd have to stay in bed for the next few days just to make sure. Of course from what he had seen from the girl he expected her back on her feet by tomorrow.

"Nii-chan, are you alright? You look really worried about something." he looked down and saw Amy who was looking up at him worriedly. He had told her to go home but the girl had insisted on following him once more. She even trailed him when he was in the middle of training. "Is there something you want to talk about? You can tell me if it'll make you feel better."

He thought about venting out to her, but then decided against it. She was a little girl. She had no idea what he was going through and he wasn't going to burden her with it. "It's nothing you need to worry about. Just go back to the kitchen and get something to eat. I been out here for a while and since you been tagging along I can only assume your hungry by now." He reasoned as he focused on knocking down the next tree.

She shook her head no and set her backpack down beginning to reach inside. After a few moments of rustling through it she pulled out two bento boxes and held one towards him. "I made you one myself. Please try one?" She said hopefully as she shoved it towards him.

"I'm not hungry right now. I'll try it later." He said as he knocked down yet another tree.

"You would have eaten it if that stupid boxing Nee-chan made it…" She mumbled under her breath. Vincent looked over his shoulder not hearing clearly what she had said, and once she realized he was staring at her she smiled nervously. "I-I didn't say anything." She said innocently. "But I'm not going to eat until you eat. If you can stand it then so can I." She said as she walked beside him to the next target.

Vincent didn't hear what she said, and he really hadn't cared. But he didn't want to keep listening to this girl growling stomach for much longer. He stopped and then took a seat on a nearby rock. Amy smiled joyfully as she ran over and sat beside him. "I'll try it already. Just promise me it won't kill me."

She scowled at him causing him to chuckle. He took a bit from, what looked like a chicken wrap, and found that he was a bit impressed. It was actually very good. He patted her on the head and then took another bite from his wrap. "It's not bad." He lied trying to downplay it. He didn't want her getting all excited and jumping around all over the place. He'd end up losing track of her and having to search all over the place.

"You seem like your really bothered about something. If your not going to talk to me, shouldn't you at least find another friend to talk to. It's not good to bottle things up, Nii-chan." She said surprising Vincent a bit. He hadn't actually expected to hear that from the small girl.

But then there was that word again. 'Friend' was a word he just couldn't seem to decipher. Sure he understood what a friend was, but from his experience with most people he couldn't make up or down of the word. Did Derrick and Haley think they were friends as well? He got up and then began walking off as Amy followed behind him. He finished the last of his wrap and grew a determined look in his eyes. "I'll take your advise." He said smirking.

* * *

Kai sat on the top of the roof looking up at the sky. He was glad he didn't have to bother watching the brats today. CJ was at his own house training, and Alice never even got out of bed. She was fine, but the fight had taken a little more out of her then everyone first thought. Being her usual self she tried to play the injury off as little, but Derrick could tell she was more hurt then she was letting on.

The lazy teen finally had a well deserved afternoon all to himself. Or he would have if he wasn't simply waiting for Haley to find and instruct him to complete some chore that would take ten minutes, but somehow take him twenty. "Man, why can't I have one day where I don't have to hide to keep from doing chores. I just want to relax for one day without having to worry." He complained. At least he was getting a few minutes of relaxation in.

He suddenly saw a shadow come over him. He saw a few strands of red hair out of the corner of his eye and knew he'd been caught. Just as he was about to give himself up he felt something on his nose. The tip of a katana was touching the front of his nose. When he looked up he could see Haley was dressed in a ninja costume and had her hair tied back into a pony tail. "Lazy as ever." She said simply.

"New look? I don't really think the ninja thing fits you though. I could give a crap about the hair. I'm not all that into fashion anyhow. Not that I know much about it in the first place." He admitted turning over on his side. He hoped this quick little conversation would get him out of any job she was about to give him.

The red head lifted her sword and swung down right on Kai who grew wide eyed as he saw the sword come down on him. A large crash could be heard from the top of the roof as Kai rolled off the top and into the front of their apartment. He landed on the stairs right in front of his door which Haley opened just in time to see him hit the ground hard. "Kai? Where were you? And what was that noise just now?" She asked obviously in a bit of a panic.

Kai looked up at Haley confused. He could now obviously tell that the girl who just attacked him wasn't Haley. When he turned to roll away he could see that her eyes were bright red, and not hazel. "I don't really know myself. But get ready cause I think we're about to be in for a fight." He said quickly getting back up to his feet. The red head jumped down in front of him again and Haley looked a bit surprised.

"W-who is she?" Haley asked a bit nervously.

"If she's who I'm thinking of we're in more then just a simple fight. We need to find help and fast." He said as he looked closely at her. It was definitely her. He knew she was CJ's sister but he never expected her to show up here. He was hoping she'd at the very least run into her brother before she decided to take them on. "Any idea where Vincent or Derrick is?" He asked preparing to fight.

"I don't know where Vincent headed. It think Amy said something about him going to school to find someone but I don't even know what school he goes to! And Derrick is at home with Alice. You can't possibly think she can be fighting right now can you?" Haley asked looking towards the boy.

"Well what about Teal and Grace? Haley we need someone to back us up quick!" He yelled panicking as the girl before them drew her sword.

Suddenly a figure jumped over the girl and headed straight for Kai. The figure threw a roundhouse kick at Kai who blocked by holding his arm up. But he was still sent flying to the side by the force of the blow. He quickly got back up and saw a boy standing where he once was. Was he a mamodo as well? That surly couldn't have been a kick from a human.

The boy was a fairly tall, blue eyed, blond, and muscular boy whose short hair was as messy as Vincent's.. He wore a blue karate Gi and white bandages which were wrapped around his wrist and fist. "Nice Block!" the boy said as he kept his foot in the air and mimicked the same kick over and over. "I put a lot of effort into that kick. I should have expected that from a mamodo though."

Kai got up and glared at the boy. Judging by his statement he wasn't a mamodo, but simply a strong human. He had heard some human here were unusually strong, but he never though one of them was strong enough to knock him back like that. "Aaron, don't just jump at the enemy like that. You might have gotten blindsided."

"Don't worry Angie-san. From what you said this guys to lazy to even try and counter an attack." The blonde boy said smiling.

"Haley, I need a spell now." Kai instructed.

Haley nodded as he reached inside and grab the book off the table near the door. She then opened it and read the spell she thought would best suit the situation. "Kazesaimon!" Kai waved his arms up sending two slashes of wind flying right at the red headed mamodo who lifted her sword and blocked them. She pushed upwards and sent them both flying up into the air. "We're going to have trouble." Kai said gritting his teeth.

* * *

Vincent stepped onto the roof of his school and sighed as he walked forward. He was going to try and take Amy's advice and settle this with… not a friend, but someone he knew at least. "I know you up here you stupid dork. Come out here so we can have another right. I need to get some crap off my mind." He said as he looked around trying to find his target.

"Keep it down idiot. The reason I come up here is so no one will bother me, don't come up here and ruin that." a voice called back nonchalantly. He was A five foot six boy that simply wore a school uniform. He had light black hair that was as messy as CJ's and had a slim body with a little muscle. Other then those traits he seemed like a rather normal boy.

Vincent made his way over towards the boy and then leaned back for a second. He then leaned forward and head butted the boy as hard as he could. "Who the hell told you that you could get away with such a stupid haircut. It's only been about a year since our last fight. Don't you know what a comb is? Eh, Rikuo" He said arrogantly.

The boy didn't seem to budge and kept the same casual face on. He kicked up hitting the four eyed teen right in the side of his head. "Like your one to talk. You walk around looking like a stupid four eyes. It's embarrassing that people even think we're rivals." he shot back as Vincent swatted his foot away.

Rikuo Medora, better known as Rikky, had been the closest thing Vincent had to a rival ever since middle school. The two didn't have any bumpy past together. Nor did they have any reason to fight. They simply didn't like each other. The fighting happened so often the other students assumed the two were trying to take over the school. They even had a few gangs claiming to follow them. "The usual?"

"First blood." Vincent said as he charged at the boy. He delivered a punch right to Rikky's face, but unlike last time there was clear pain on his face. Rikky stood back up and delivered a punch right back hitting Vincent in his face as well. He stumbled back but forced himself to stand upright as Rikky kept coming.

This time Rikky grabbed his head and kneed him in the face with all his might. Vincent quickly pushed him back knowing he couldn't take too many blows to the face if he wanted to win. First blood, as the name implied, was a game to see who could make the other bleed first. Even something as simple as a tiny scratch meant you lost. "C'mon Vincent. Your taking out what little fun out of the game there is." he said as he kicked him in his side.

Rikky wasn't a martial artist. He was a street fighter. Usually Vincent could beat down guys like him without breaking a sweat, but Rikky was different. He could more then keep up with Vincent. In fact he'd come pretty close to beating him quite a few times before. But the two always ended up in a draw. "You ain't seen nothing yet loser!" He said hitting him in the chin with his elbow.

Rikky and Vincent continued trading blows relentlessly. They were glad they didn't have the other kids in school watching and distracting them. Today they would finish this fight once and for all. No interruptions and no distractions. "Nii-chan. Why are you two guys fighting?" Amy asked as she made her presence known to them. They both stopped and turned around to see the brown haired girl.

"A-Amy? What are you doing here?" Vincent asked in disbelief.

"Who the heck is this kid?" Rikky asked.

"Nii-chan, we didn't get to finish lunch. I'm hungry." She complained rubbing her stomach.

Vincent looked over at Rikky and then held his hands up. "Time out." He ordered. He then walked over to Amy and reached inside his backpack pulling out the half finished bento that was in his backpack. Rikky couldn't believe what he was seeing.

"The hell?" He asked raising an eyebrow.

* * *

Kai flew back and slide against the ground, but quickly stopped himself and scrambled back up to his feet. This girl was much tougher then he thought. He hoped he'd be able to hold her off long enough for him and Haley to flee, but it was obvious if he didn't get back up soon he'd be in the worst of situation. "Of all the damn days for me not to be watching those brats." He muttered.

Haley gripped the book tightly out of anger. She had only used one spell so far and non of their attacks could seem to counter it. The first time she used a shield spell against her attack it broke almost instantly. The only thing that allowed him to evade her attacks were Kai's speed spells. "Don't worry, she might give him a nasty cut, but she won't kill him. I don't think she'd go that far." Aaron assured.

"Maxchisoku!" Kai sped around and behind Angie attempting to kick her, but she lifted her hand and caught his ankle. She then tried to throw him, but he lifted his other foot and kicked back. He managed to land on his hands and flipped back onto his feet speeding at her again. This time he punched forward and once again she lifted her hands to stop him, but he stopped mid punch. "Got you." he said as he kicked up towards her face. She leaned back dodging the blow and stepped forward grabbing his leg.

Kai curse to himself as she moved her foot behind his own and then slammed him down to the ground. Before he could get up she pointed her sword at his throat. "Your lazy, but your also fairly smart and pretty evasive. It'd be a waste to kill you." She said as she pulled her sword back. Kai was about to get up when suddenly she stepped on his chest. "That being said I never intended to kill you." She said lifting her sword case.

"It's a sword case. What are you going to do with it smack m-" Kai's sarcastic tone ended when she swung down striking him in the head in the case. He would have rolled over in pain if she hadn't been stepping on him, but he did grab his head in pain. This time when she swung at him he reached forward attempting to grab the sword case. But it only struck his palm. Haley now growing worried lifted the book to read a spell.

"Kazerudo!" A shield of wind surrounded Kai not only stopping her next swing but blowing her back as well. She landed on her feet but didn't show a single sign of losing focus. Kai once again jumped back up to his feet and glared at her. Everything he had tried using against her seemed to be failing.

"You've held your own." Angie said simply. Kai looked at her a bit surprised and then raised an eyebrow. What the heck was that supposed to mean? For someone who was attacking him she sure seemed to be praising him a lot. It was almost like she was judging him. "I hope the silver haired girl can do the same." She said before turning to leave off.

When Kai heard this he rushed towards her and grabbed her ankle keeping her from jumping off. "Sorry, but she's not feeling well today. I'll have to count for the both of us." He said throwing her with all his might. She flew towards the apartment but easily kicked off of it and right back towards Kai. She landed on the ground a few feet in front of him. "Weren't you trying to use escape tactics before? Why start to fight now?" She asked.

"Does it matter?" he asked nonchalantly.

"Trying to protect her? I guess you have more heart that I thought."

"Do not." He said as he charged at her.

This time she lifted her real sword as she charged at him. Kai didn't know what he was going to do to stop her but he couldn't just let her get to Alice. He suddenly felt a sharp pain in his side. Angie had stabbed right through him with her sword. "I didn't hit any vital points. I simply stabbed through the open space between the ribcage. It's nothing but a nasty flesh wound." She explained.

Haley looked with disbelief. She knew Angie was quick, but Kai had seemed to have the speed advantage the whole battle. It was almost as if he was didn't even try to dodge. She grew even more surprised when she saw Kai's hand raise up and grab the sword with his right hand as he used his left to aim at Angie. "I was banking on you going easy on me." He said with a scowl. He was in pain, but this seemed like his only option.

"So you have a bit of recklessness as well. You seem to hide a lot of surprises behind that nonchalant attitude of yours." Angie said clearly not shaken. "But don't you think this strategy was a little too risky?" she asked.

"Your can act all cool and collected if you want, but even if you managed to slice my arm off at this position you couldn't dodge my attack. I might have let you go if you didn't blab about trying to take out Alice, but I couldn't just stand here and do nothing. Messing with those brats is my job after all." He said smirking.

Haley opened the book and was surprised to see it glowing brightly. She smiled happily

knowing what this meant. "Kai, we have the six spell!" She yelled as Kai grew a smirk on his face. Both Angie and Aaron looked surprised upon hearing this.

"Giga Kazemaron!" Kai held his hand up as a wind sword appeared in his hand. He swung down with all of his might at Angie who grew wide eyed. She wasn't expecting this. She lifted her arm as it was slashed. Kai smiled as he prepared for another swing but suddenly found Angie was gone.

"You were this close." She said suddenly behind him. He turned around and was met with a swift kick to the chest. He fell back and hit the ground struggling to get up. The sword was still in him, but she somehow moved out of the way. It was impossible, he saw her get cut. "Afterimage. It's what you might call a ninja clone of something of the sort. Ironically I learned the little trick from CJ, and found it more efficient then clones." She explained.

Kai as he struggled to get to his feet. He fell over on his side grabbing his wound and trying to stop the blood from flowing out. "I can't move as fast as you or CJ. That's why I've perfect my reaction time. Still even the slowest of mamodo can make afterimages in short burst of speed, if you know how." Angie said as she sheathed her sword.

Right as Kai managed to force himself to stand he heard someone's foot steps behind him. "Good grief. I went to go get my book owner for about fifteen minutes and I come back to find you in shambles. Couldn't you put Haley's spells to use Kai?" Grace asked as she walked from behind him. He glared up at her angrily. Anyone could have come but her. He didn't know why but he found her unusually annoying.

Before Kai could say anything she grabbed the front of his shirt and hurled him right towards Haley. He landed on the ground in front of his as she bent down to check on her partner. "He probably got hurt trying to pull off all of those fancy martial arts moves." Teal said as she came up to Haley from behind. Haley glared at her before turning her attention back to Kai. "But for martial artist that last move was okay." Teal admitted.

Haley smirked as she help Kai up to his feet. "Kai's not a martial artist. He's more of a bum." She said holding her hand out.

Teal slapped it signifying a tag in and walk past her. "Don't worry , I'll take the rest from here. Get a good look, you'll finally get to see what boxing can do." She said smirking.

Kai growled under his breath. "I hope the blue haired bat gets run through." He mumbled to himself.

"Ah, someone wants me to break their legs? That's strange. I wonder who asked that, Kai?" She said turning towards him with an evil smirk on her face.

"I said nothing." He said turning away from her.

Angie looked towards Grace and then towards Aaron. "A-Angie-chan. I'm pretty sure Nee-chan told us to just test out Kai. We probably shouldn't worry about Alice, Beat should be testing her by now. We can probably leave since we're done h-"

Angie pulled out her sword cutting him off. He sighed knowing this meant they were in for another fight. She had cut it pretty close with Kai just now, and even though he knew she could more then hold her own he was growing a bit worried for her. "Grace, I've honestly been waiting for some time to put you in your place. I honestly don't care about your habits or anything of that sort, but you've been a bad influence on CJ since you've met him." She said glaring at the girl.

Haley looked at her confused. How long had Grace known CJ exactly. "Eh, are you jealous your little brother seemed to take a liking to me. You should be proud. Thanks to me he knows how to pick out a cute girl. He seems to already like someone. I don't see you going to bother the silver haired girl." Grace said smiling deviously.

Haley looked towards Kai for an explanation and he sighed knowing she was clueless about the situation. "The red head with the pony tail is part of Nana's Trio. Their a village literally full of orphans who all consider themselves brothers and sisters. Out of the whole pack the three strongest are CJ, aka quick claw, that girl over there, nicknamed the red blade. And their brother Soundwave. I don't know his real name." Kai said.

"Is Grace part of Nana's Village?" She asked.

"No clue. But from the way those two are staring each other down I'd suggest not touching that with a ten foot pole." He said as the two girls stood face to face.

* * *

Vincent and Rikky laid on their backs looking up at the sky. Both of them were bleeding from their noses and foreheads. They both seemed to have a bitter look on their faces, and Amy suspected it was because the fight had been called a draw. The two punched each other in the face and both passed out so no one could tell a clear winner. When they woke up they asked her, and the confused girl called it as she saw it, a draw.

"You got lucky." Vincent said bitterly.

"Screw you. If it wasn't for that kid being on your side I would have won." Rikky said scowling at him.

"H-Hey! I only called it like a saw it!" Amy complained. She didn't want to take the blame for this situation.

Rikky sat up and sighed. "All well. I guess you probably wanted to settle things before you ran out of time to fight me anymore huh?" He asked wiping some of the blood from his nose.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Vincent asked confused.

"Your sisters coming back in town right? At least I think it was your sister. She's the only other black person I know in this town besides you and your grandma. No offense or anything but you don't find a lot of African American walking around in Japan… matter of fact, why the hell did you family move here." Rikky said thinking deeply on the matter.

Vincent sat up and grew wide eyed. He got up and rushed out of the door heading down the stairs and towards his house. This was too soon. He knew she was coming but this was way to soon. Rikky looked at him curiously and got up to run after him, then suddenly Amy jumped on his back. "Whatever you said chased him away. Hurry and follow him!" She instructed.

"Who do you think your talking to kid?" Rikky said scowling at her.

"I didn't catch your name." She admitted. She then kicked his sides with her feet. "Piggyback!" She ordered.

Rikky looked at her with disbelief, then just decided to forget it. He was going to follow Vincent anyhow, and he was sure this kid was going to follow him even if he refused. "Don't get used to this!" he said as he sprinted off after his rival.

* * *

Derrick stood in the kitchen over the stove cooking what he hoped would turn out as gumbo. He hadn't had gumbo in so long that he just wanted to try and make it. He tasted a small spoonful and smiled. "Almost as good as grandma's, but not quite." He said as he reached for the spice cabinet. He added a bit of pepper and then set it down once he heard Alice's door open. "Alice, stay in bed. Your head injury isn't healed yet. Even mamodo's can't heal from every injury in one day."

Alice stumbled into the kitchen holding her head. It was wrapped up in bandages, but that didn't stop her from entering. "D-Derrick-kun. I-I…" She fell forward as she reach down and caught her in his arms. He lifted her up heading back to her room and set her back in bed.

"Your so stubborn. Just spend the day resting. The worlds not going to change just cause you sleep a day Alice." He assured as he covered her back up. He then frowned as he saw she was trying to get back up. "Alice, please just rest. It's bad enough that you have that head wound to deal with, but your starting to get a fever as well. I'm begging you to just rest up." he said trying to convince her to stay in bed.

"P-please…" She mumbled reaching up towards him. He sighed as he suddenly heard the door knock and got up to go answer it. "D-don't answer that door…" She mumbled. Unfortunately it was right out of Derrick's hearing range.

As he made his way to the door heard two voices speaking behind it. He opened the door and saw one boy who wore a blue bandana, radio headphones, sunglasses, a black tank top, and blue jeans. He looked around fourteen and was almost as muscular as Derrick was.

The other was a black girl. She was fairly tall, a bit taller then he was. She looked like she was in her late teens or early twenties, and she had long black flowing hair. The brown eyed girl wore a purple tank top, black pants, a shabby looking wristband, and brown boots.

The girl looked like he was about to speak, when suddenly Derrick stepped forward grabbing her hands in his own. "And what can I do today to help such a lovely lady such as yourself?" He asked smiling up at her warmly.

She didn't seemed phased by the boys. In fact the next move she made was to kick him right in the stomach. "Wow. Aaron was right about this guy. This little sonofabitch works fast." the boy said as if he was giving a compliment. The older girl then hit him on the head angrily. He seemed unaffected by the blow as Derrick got back up to his feet. The kick didn't hurt as bad as he assumed it would. "Right, anyhow we're here for the silver haired girl."

Derrick looked surprised, but regained his composure. He looked back and froth at the two before letting out a sign. "No es Ingles." He said before slamming the door right in their faces. He then dashed towards Alice room as the door went flying past him and smashed into the wall in the kitchen. "Your paying for that!" He yelled as he shut Alice's door behind him.

She seemed to have dozed off, although Derrick assumed it was unwillingly. She must have sensed the duo coming and tried to warn him before she fell asleep. He scooped her up and headed for the window. He quickly tied the blanket she was using around him to carry her. He was glad his aunt taught him how to do this whenever he babysat.

As he opened the window he heard the doorknob behind him turning. As least they weren't going to knock another door down. Suddenly the door was knocked down. "You did that on purpose!" Derrick yelled before jumping out of the window. He grabbed onto the nearby gutter and began shimmy away from the window. If he could make it next door he'd be able to make a run for it.

"Runners? What the hell are you doing up there?" A voice asked form below. He looked down and saw Rika, the girl from the apartment a few doors down. Beside her were two children and a boy… who shared an uncanny resemblance to her. He was going to answer when suddenly the he saw the boy who had broken the door down lean out of the window.

He held his hand out taking aim at Derrick who began to panic. "Bijura!" the boy shot out a sound wave from his hand which headed right for Derrick who managed to scramble

his way on top of the roof. Unfortunately the blast had caused the tiles on the roof to begin to fall, and Derrick found himself running as fast as he could so he wouldn't fall to his death. After all the tiles had fallen he managed to make it to the middle of the roof. At last, he was safe.

"Bijura!" Another blast suddenly shot through the roof where Alice's room was and the boy from earlier jumped out landing on the roof. The girl wasn't far behind him. He was amazed she jumped that height so easily. The floor from her room was about teen feet from that hole. "She's sick? If I'd have known that I wouldn't have bothered coming here in the first place." The girl said sighing.

"Scythrias Icicalia!" "Antrai Ignarias!"

The boy with the blue bandana found himself being attacked from both sides by Azure who was now carrying his ice scythe in hand, and Adele who was swinging her dual blade of fire. "Ah, the Lockheart twins huh? I didn't expect a big name like the Lockhearts to show up. Much less two of you." He said as he held both his hands out. "Bijura!" he shot two sound waves from his hands sending both of the twins flying back.

Azure used his ice scythe to keep himself from flying off the roof while Adele did the same using her sword. "He's one of Nana's trio. We may be in over our heads sis." Azure said a bit nervous.

"Rika-Nee told us to help that guy. We have to at least hold him off until he can get away." Adele said spinning her sword around. She was more then ready to fight.

"Time out." the boy said as she rushed towards the two children. He grabbed them both by the back of their shirts and then jumped off of the roof of the apartment. The twins seemed to panic but he lifted them upwards right before he landed on the ground causing a small crater to appear. "You kiddies didn't seem like you were fit to fight on the roof. Didn't want to seem like I was picking on you guys." He said chuckling.

Azure and Adele both swung at him, but he flipped back dodging them both. Derrick watched with amazement as the girl simply sighed. "Geez Beat. We didn't have to give them the advantage." She said as she jumped down as well. Derrick thought she was crazy until he saw her kick off the wall and land on the fire escape. From there it was a matter of jumping down to the nearest truck.

"This is crazy. I mean these battles are always crazy but this… I don't even know what to call this mess." Derrick said as he jumped back down the hole the boy created. He didn't know what was going on, but Alice was top priority right now. "I probably should have listened to you from the start. I wonder what Haley would have done." He mumbled to himself.

He suddenly felt a light tap on his head. Alice had chopped him in the back of head. "That…" she muttered answering his question before falling asleep. Derrick smiled but didn't stop running.

"Beat of Nana's trio." Beat said pounding his fist against his chest. The twins looked at him confused. Why was he telling them his name. they already knew who he was, and they were sure he knew who they were. "Where I come from we make a habit of introducing ourselves before a fight. I was only planning to test the girl, but since you guys came for an actual fight, it's polite to introduce myself." he said cracking his knuckles.

They looked at him and then each other confusingly before Azure spoke up. "A-azure Lockheart!"

"Adele Lockheart!" Adele said as their partner made their way to their side. "Don't hold back against this guy Rai, he's super tough."

"Got it." Rai said preparing himself.

"You too Rika, this is one of Nana's trio. He's no pushover." Azure said worried.

"We can take him!" Rika said ready to go.

Rachel sighed as she brushed her hair back. "Beat, I know you have some code of conduct in battle, but I have to deal with that troublesome little brother of mine in a little while wrap this up quickly will you?" She asked as both sets of twins glared at her.

* * *

"Angie of Nana's Trio." Angie said as she put her sword away. She didn't want to fight seriously against someone who was weaponless. Even if it was just Grace. Kai may have bee weaponless as well, but she was only testing him, so she could afford to put a little more into it.

"I forgot, you three have that nasty habit of telling everyone who are you. I guess I'll play along with you for now. Grace Busters." She said smirking.

Kai once again looked surprised and Haley could see it written all over his face. What is it?" Haley asked curiously. "If she part of some famous clan too?"

"The Busters are some over secretive family, but their supposed to be known for their unusual physical strength. They don't work like regular clans do, it's more of a royal status then a clan head or things like that. I heard they only had one current daughter in line to take the throne." He explained.

Haley raised an eyebrow at him. "A-are you saying grace is supposed to be a princess or something? I thought she was just a normal kid back in the mamodo world like you!" She said in shock.

"I thought she was just a stuck up, arrogant, jerk. But this kind of explains a lot." Kai said scratching his head.

"Ah, someone wants to be snap their ribs? Who asked that Kai-kun?" Grace asked not even bothering to turn around. Kai began rolling away from her and behind Haley. Grace kept her eyed right on Angie knowing she couldn't afford to underestimate this girl. "_As much as I wish it weren't true she probably has me outmatched. But I may have a shot. Besides, if I don't stop her here she may some after CJ next. _"

* * *

"Grandma! Is she home yet!" Vincent asked bursting through the door. He didn't even waste time trying to unlock it. His grandma sat in the living room not seeming excited at all by the boys panicked expression. "Grandma! Where are they?" He shouted as he stepped in front of the television.

"I can't see." She said simply.

"GRANDMA!"

"Fine! Rachel came home for a few minutes then left out. Aaron came with her. I think he said he left you something in the garage. You can use it if your in such a rush." She explained as she moved seats to once again get a view at the television.

Vincent was about to bolt out of the door until he heard his cell phone ring. He picked it up and answered it quickly to find It was Derrick. His Grandmother and Rikky who had just managed to catch up to the boy watched wanting to know what he was being told. "Damn it!" Vincent yelled as he closed the phone. He ran into the garage hoping just for once in his life his brother didn't give him something that was completely useless.

He kicked down the garage door and was amazed at what he saw. Rikky came in behind him and whistled impressed. "Dude, your brother got you a Harley motorcycle? Those things are awesome!" He said walking forward to examine it.

"Yeah you better get a good look. Cause you walking." Vincent said with a smirk as he pushed Rikky back. The boy scowled at Vincent who turned back towards his grandmother from the door. "Grandma where are the keys?" He asked.

"How would I know?" She answered.

"Damn it Grandma! C'mon!"

* * *

**A/N: Longest chapter ever! I figured I should put a little extra into this since it's been a while since I updated. Hope you all enjoyed my chapter. This is a two partner so the next chapter will continue these battles and introduce some new OC as well. I hope I got Kai's sense of battle down correctly. I know the last part about him getting stabbed through really isn't his style, but it was just a last effort thing.**

**The whole Grace being a 'princess' thing isn't meant to be blown up, but I just wanted to throw in some background information about her. It isn't like she supposed to be top royalty or anything, but just of her being one of those people heard about but not seen. I honestly a little worried about this chapter, I hope dragging it out too long didn't make it too troublesome to read. I didn't want things to get to crazy since I took some advice and showed three perspectives in one chapter. Be honest and tell me if it got to confusing. Adios, my Peoples.**


	11. Hell on Earth part 2

Grace slid back trying to regain her balance. Even without her sword Angie was a formidable opponent. Still, she wasn't about to just throw in the towel. She could at least stall until CJ or Alice hurry up and got here. What was taking those two so long! "Stop daydreaming and pay attention to the fight. Your going to somehow beat me remember?" Angie said as she kicked up at the blue haired girl who blocked with her arms. She slide back once more, but this time to the offensive and charged after her.

Angie moved swiftly pushing Grace's wrist aside with each punch. She was also moving to the side and to dodge the attack as well. Suddenly Grace stomped on Angie's foot and then through a vicious uppercut. Angie lifted her chin and leaned back just enough for the punch to graze her chin. She then prepared to punch back, but Grace was throwing a left hook at her. And with the landing of that blow she had finally managed to nail Angie!

The red head stumbled back but quickly got back on the attack. She began kicking rapidly at the girl who was moving side to side to avoid the attack. They appeared to be coming quicker and it seemed like it was coming from all directions. When the attack finally stopped Grace looked around to find three Angie's. "This old parlor trick. I've seen this about a hundred times." She said smirking.

All three Angie's moved in for the attack but Grace jumped up high into the air and landed a few feet away. As long as she wasn't surrounded it wouldn't matter how many of her there were. Suddenly all three Angie's vanished from nowhere. She couldn't believe it! All three were fakes? Where were the real ones! Out of nowhere Angie's hand reached out of the ground and caught hold of her ankle. "_She was underground!_"

"You should have paid more attention. While you were dodging all of my copies I slipped off and made my way underground. By the way, aren't you a little too old for Hello Kitty?" She asked as Grace suddenly blushed and crossed her legs. She punched downward only to have her fist stopped by Angie. Angie then grabbed onto Grace wrist and lifted her into the air as she made her way up from the hole in the ground.

"Let me go!" She yelled trying to break loose. Angie dropped her slightly and managed to get her arm around the girls neck as she carried her on her shoulders. Teal was now panicking. This wasn't looking good. At this rate Grace was going to have her back snapped straight in two. Grace struggled to pry the girls arm of her throat, but the grip was iron clad.

"I don't have any plans on sending you home, but your one of few people who actually annoy me. I'll take my time a bit with this fight." Angie said calmly. She tightened her grip and Grace knew she couldn't keep conscious much longer. She lifted her leg and then dropped it down on the other girls shoulder. While Angie didn't seem hurt it did knock her off balance.

Suddenly Angie felt her leg swept and fell back allowing Grace to escape. Angie looked back and saw Kai on the ground still holding his wound. She didn't think he'd still be able to move. She was impressed. Grace back up near Kai and held out a hand appearing to help him up, but as soon as she took it she through him towards Angie as if he were some sort of weapon. Angie ducked as Kai crashed into the ground. Grace followed up with a few quick jabs.

Angie however managed to avoid them all. Why did she have to be so damn quick! "Are you getting upset at me over dodging? I'm not just going to sit here and get beat up you know." Angie said smirking as she grabbed onto the girls fist. She kicked forward landing a kick in her stomach and then pulled her forward. She then punched downward and knocked Grace to the ground hard. "Stay down." She ordered.

Grace was about to get up but suddenly felt something pointed at her head. Angie had drawn her sword and was pointing it at her. It was painfully evident that she was now done playing games with her. Grace didn't know what to do. If she was serious she would stab right through her right here and now. But her pride was telling her to get up and knock that damn girls teeth out. "Screw you."

Grace attempted to get up only to be struck in the back of the head by her sword case. She was down on the ground again and this time she didn't seem like she was getting back up anytime soon. But looks apparently meant nothing because she was struggling to rise up once more. Angie raised the sword case but suddenly someone caught her hand. She looked beside her and found Slash holding her wrist. "I think it's pretty clear who won. You should stop now."

Angie glared at Slash as Grace looked up at both of them. He looked down at the blue haired girl as Haley and Teal watched from the side. "Who the heck is that guy!" Teal shouted pointing towards Slash with disbelief. She couldn't believe another on had shown up. As if Angie herself wasn't bad enough. Grace simply glared at the boy before she stood up.

* * *

Azure and Adelle flew back as Beat smirked hysterically. "You two are pretty determined little suckers, but you're a hundred years to early to beat me." he said smirking as he began to walk away. "Anyhow I can tell where this fight is leaving, and since I don't have any interest in burning any books then I'll let you two off the hook for now. Don't worry about that Alice girl, she seemed strong enough to me, so I'll let her off too."

Rika and Rai glared at Rachel who returned the angry glare right back. "If you two ever cross us again I'll burn your book myself." She threatened before turning away. Before either set of twins could say anything they heard something behind them. It was a motorcycle. Rachel turned back around with a smirk on her face. "He's here huh? I didn't think he'd show up for a second."

As Rika and Rai turned around they saw Vincent on his motorcycle sitting on top of the hill with an angered look in his eyes. "Yo, long time no see." he said while keeping the same deranged look on his face. Rachel could tell he was boiling over with anger, but she still chuckled and smirked at him. He gritted his teeth and then got off his bike. She was still reacting to him like some little kid. "Laugh again!" He challenged as he began storming towards her.

"Your still so hot under the collar. You always were such a grumpy little kid." She said shaking her head at him. Vincent charged at her and swung his fist, but she grabbed his fist and then his arm. She twisted it behind his back and forced him to his knees. "If you struggle from this position then your only going to earn yourself a broken arm. Or are you that angry that I came back just to visit my baby brother?" She asked innocently.

"B-brother? She's his big sister!" Azure said in disbelief.

"No wonder she just handled him like that." Adelle mumbled.

Vincent struggled despite her warning and felt his arm begin to hurt. But that still didn't keep him from trying to break out. Rika and Rai looked surprised as they began to see his arm bend back. Was he seriously willing to break it to try and take this girl down. "Your so hard headed. Don't you even want to know where your big sister ran off to?" She asked as she released his arm and then kicked him away. Right before he turned to charge again she spoke. "I've been training with mom."

That finally manage to stop Vincent and he slowly turned around. "You went where?" he asked as the vein on his forehead looked like it was going to explode. He couldn't believe all these years that she had ran off to their mother. He then looked down and began chuckling at her. "You went to follow mom around huh? Who cares, after I'm done with you I'll go pay her a visit too." he said running towards her.

Before he could get to her a blast of sound flew by him and he stopped to avoid getting hit. He looked over towards Beat and gritted his teeth. "I hate to see a brother and sister fight, especially if the brother is going to lose. It hits to close to home." He said as he took aim at Vincent. He didn't seem like he was going to fire, but he kept his eye intently on him.

"Brothers fighting shouldn't be a problem then right?" a voice asked from seemingly nowhere. Beat looked around confused and found no one. "Been a long time Nii-chan. I bet you didn't expect me to show back up. By the way, you got something on your face." CJ's voice said as Beat looked up. "My foot!" CJ stomped down on Beat's face as hard as she could, then kicked off knocking him to the ground.

"I-it's that guinea pig kid from before!" Azure said.

"Your late. I was expecting you to be here at least five minutes ago. If your not going to come on schedule at least land a bigger surprise attack. Now I have to formulate a whole new plan." Vincent said sighing as he looked towards CJ and then smirked. "And just because this guy is your brother doesn't mean I'm going to allow you to hold back. You fight full throttle as always"

"Of course I'm not holding back. Since he's my brother I have to try twice as hard. Anyway sorry for being late, I was dealing with a stray cat. Felines aren't exactly my best friends. Anyway, it's been a long time big brother. How have you been?" CJ said as he looked overt to Beat who was getting up from the ground and spitting the taste of dirty shoe from his mouth. "If I hadn't known any better I'd say you've gotten rusty."

Beat wiped his mouth and then smiled. "You wish." He said sprinting towards him. He punched at CJ only to find the brown haired boy was gone. He looked around and then realized his little brother was now standing behind him. "Your speeds increased by miles since I last saw you. Not even my glasses could pick you up until just now. You moved so quickly I could barely hear your footsteps. But dodge this."

He raised his gun and fired before CJ once again sprinted out of the way. He kept firing but CJ was moving swiftly not stopping for a second. He knew the moment he stopped he'd be hit with one of his blast, and he knew firsthand how much damage he'd take if even one of those attacks hit him. "Why don't you just put on a blind fold and shoot anywhere, cause that's what it already feels like!" CJ mocked as he kept moving. He knew egging on his brother would get him made ought to miss eventually

"Don't think for a second that this changes anything your little runt. I'm still light-years ahead of your in skill." Beat said as he fired only one gun this time. CJ dodged but then found another blast right in his face. He gritted his teeth and knew what was coming. He was going to fire once and then fire wherever he was going to land. Not that it would work. As the blast hit him he disappeared. "Afterimage!"

"Fokai!" CJ's lighting amour cover his body as he dashed in front of Beat and placed his hands on the older brothers chest. He smirked as he sent a pulse of lighting through Beat's body. Beat looked as if he had been shot with a taser and then fell back hitting the ground. "That was a lot easier then It should been. There's no way that took you so quickly." CJ said kicking his older brother.

"CJ, don't!"

Right as he through his next kick Beat grabbed his ankle and lifted him into the air. He then slammed the boy down on the ground and punched him in the stomach. CJ coughed up a fair amount of blood and then rolled over grabbing his stomach. "Your quicker then me, I'll give you that. But the same my power easily equals your speed any day." He said cracking his knuckles.

Vincent looked in disbelief. Not even Chainz had been able to hurt CJ like that. "Are you surprised? It's probably true that speed wise there aren't many mamodo that can keep on par with the little fur ball, but if he's the fastest in this battle then Beat is undoubtedly the strongest." Rachel said chuckling.

The black haired teen scowled but then let out a sigh. "If you think power alone is going to make this kid quite then you got another thing coming. This kid wouldn't give up even if you grinded his body to dust. Besides, I won't let him lose." Vincent said simply as he lifted the book up ready to read the next spell. "Fogar!"

Red flame amour cover CJ's body and he quickly got up and kicked towards his brother shooting out a ball of fire as he did so. Beat lifted his gun to shoot forward but then saw something come from his side and knocked them back down. Azure had used his scythe to knock his guns back downwards, and while he would have simply pulled the trigger anyway he looked down and saw his hands which had been frozen. "Bastard!"

The fire ball struck Beat right in his chest and he flew back slamming into the wall. CJ looked up at Azure and the two glared at each other for a few seconds. "We don't have time for this you two. Can't we just agree that we have a common enemy and work together." Adelle said stepping in between her brother and CJ.

"I guess we can work with him just this once. But be careful, his book owner might turn on us after we're done." Azure said keeping an eye on CJ.

"You better not slow me down, or else I'll make a note to burn your books personally." he warned as he stepped forward flames growing around his body.

Beat looked at the three of them and then broke out a smile. "Look at my little bother! I had no idea he was out here making friends! With nobles no less! You must be living the good life in the human world huh little bother?" He asked as he flexed his arm shattering the ice which froze them.

The twins looked impressed but CJ simply scowled at him angrily. He was the first to charge at him and the twins ran forward ready to back him up. "If you want to beat this guy then follow me lead." Vincent ordered as he looked over towards Rika and Rai. They stared at each other for a few seconds and then at Vincent.

"Yeah right! Why should we let you take the lead! You tried to waste us before!" Rika reasoned as she stared at him angrily.

"Of course I did, and you better be damn sure after this I'll do it again. But would you rather have me do it and spend time with those brats for a few more weeks, or have that bastard get rid of them right now." He said staring the two down. Rika balled her fist up growing more angry towards him. No one could infuriate her more then this guy could. Did he think they were that weak?

"Rika, I know you hate this guy, but we might need his help to get out of this one. This guy is way beyond our level." Rai said as Rika let out a sigh.

"We'll work with you for now!" She said opening her book.

Beat fired at CJ who side stepped and rushed in for a head on attack. He was going to use his flames to burn his guns. He may not be able to destroy them, but if he heated them up enough not even Beat could stand the feel of the hot metal. Azure on the other hand had a different strategy. If he could simply freeze the guns themselves the trigger would be frozen solid. They could take the opening for an all out attack.

Azure jumped up into the air and lifted his scythe ready to put his plan into action. He swung down as Beat aimed up at him and smirked. CJ dived in knowing he had an opening now. But right as he moved in Beat shifted his other gun and aimed for his baby brother. "Did you two think such a hum dumb strategy would work?" He said blasting them both back.

Adelle on the other had was free to come in a make an attack. She swung her sword down at Beat who stepped back causing the sword to stick into the ground. She didn't let this stop her though as she grabbed onto the handle and swung her body around it landing a kick right in his jaw. "Rai! Use it now!" She said holding her hands out towards Beat. "Firano!"

Adelle shot out a set of flaming arrows from her hand which headed towards Beat. He looked for a few seconds and scowled before jumping out of the way, but the arrows suddenly curved and changed direction. Adelle pointed after Beat trying to lead the arrows properly, but Beat was an evasive target.

"_She can't hit him even if she can control those arrows. Beat's speed is lacking compared to the average mamodo so he worked on his evasive skills through martial arts. Even If those arrows could catch up to him he'd be able to avoid the hit._" Rachel thought smirking to herself.

Right as the arrows caught up to Beat he leaned back moving his shoulders, arms, and legs perfectly to avoid the attack. He let out a sigh knowing if the arrows were any bigger he may not have been able to avoid them. "Strategies done." Vincent said as he finished watching Beat. Rika and Rai looked at him confused as he let a wide smirk show. "CJ twins, I want you to get back over here so I can share the plan!" He yelled.

CJ immediately ran over and was followed by Azure. Adelle grabbed her sword and backed up carefully covering her brother and CJ. They hurried back to their book owners as Beat raised an eyebrow towards them. "Oh, this looks interesting. Seems like my brother really found someone who knows what he's doing." He said growing a smile on his face. He wondered how he would attempt to bring him down.

* * *

Back where Teal and Haley waited things had seemed to cool down quite a bit. Angie and Slash along with their respective book owners left. But everyone seemed to be able to sense the thick nervousness in the air. Whatever Grace had in connection with that Slash kid wasn't dug to deep into. He simply stared at her and then left. "Want to talk about it?" Teal asked worriedly.

"No." She answered simply. Teal sighed but didn't ask anything else. She knew better then to pry into Grace's business. Although the two were good friends the girl refused to speak on anything about her past, so she just chalked this up as another top secret case. "How are Kai and Haley doing?" She asked trying to change the subject.

"What do you mean how am I doing! I got stabbed through!" Kai shouted from behind the curtain. Haley was working on closing his wound up, but they ended up having to call over Vincent's grandmother to help. "What are you doing with that thread and needle!" he said trying to get up.

"Hold him down Haley! Teal, Grace! Get in here and help me stitch his wound closed. I don't have any medicine to numb him and he's being a big baby about it!" She said as Teal sighed and walked behind the curtain. Grace looked on for a few more seconds and then headed into the kitchen. Kai wasn't in good enough shape to shake them both off, so she wouldn't be needed.

She heard a loud scream from the kitchen which she recognized as Kai's voice before hearing the kitchen door open. She felt like she was about to choke. Was is Slash and Angie again? Had they come to finish the job? "The outside of the apartment looks like it was hit with a tornado." Derrick said as he walked in with Alice on his back.

"So you two ended up getting into a bit of a scuffle too?" She asked leaning again the counter.

"We had a little trouble, but a pair of mamodo came by to help us. One of the book owners is my neighbor and I came by to ask if you guys would help them out. I know their not exactly our allies but they helped us against that sound guy, so I think we owe them one." Derrick explained as he walked into the living room to set Alice on the couch. Kai was sitting on the sofa holding his side in pain. "What happened to you?"

"Shut the hell up." Kai said grumpily as he laid down on the sofa.

"What happened to you? I thought Alice was going to stay home and get some rest?" Haley asked feeling the girls forehead. It was still bruised pretty badly, but not nearly as bad as it was yesterday.

"Don't worry about those two mamodo." Grace cut in grabbing everyone's attention. "I know who that sound guy your talking about is. He's CJ's older brother and he probably came for the same reason Angie did, to test you. That being said Vincent and CJ are probably already on the case. CJ would never pass up a chance to show up his brother. On the other hand that could only end up backfiring on whoever came to help you. They may already be gone." She said with a cheeky smile.

Derrick looked a little worried. Maybe he should have stayed after all. "CJ's brother you say? Now that I think back on it that annoying little guy that was with Rachel said something about visiting his little brother. Maybe there was a connection after all?" Vincent's grandmother said looking up into the air.

"Why didn't you tell us Rachel was back in town!" Teal yelled in disbelief.

"Who the hell is 'sound guy'?" Rikky asked scaring everyone in the room. They all jumped in surprise as he and Amy made their way into Haley's apartment. "Man, he told me to come here to make sure everyone was in one piece but it looks like there's only one wimp in the room that got hurt." He said looking towards Kai.

"I do find it ironic that after refusing my training you-"

"Pipe down old lady, you don't get to talk down to me today. The only thing keeping me from bleeding out it some poorly tied threads of yarn." Kai complained. She punched him in his side as he gripped his ribcage in pain.

Teal got up and grabbed Grace's arm as she began to head out. "We have to get out of here quickly! There is no way Vincent is going to be able to stay level headed is Rachel is there!" She said rushing out as fast as she could.

* * *

"Fokai!" CJ's lighting amour covered him and then rushed at Beat who began firing rapidly at him. He dodged back and forth managing to dodge every shot and then bounced of the side of the nearby apartment and headed into the air. "_Step one, complete. Now if those brats can pull their weight we'll have won this fight._" Vincent thought smirking evilly.

Beat looked over towards Azure who had been holding his scythe up in the air for some time now. He wondered what they were up to. "_This better work_." Azure said collecting as much energy as he could in his weapon. He then swung forward and sent out a frozen ice wave. He then held out his hands as Rika read the next spell. "Runaega!" He then shot out an ice lance to follow up the first attack.

Beat smirked as he lifted his guns ready to strike. He could handle this no problem. He pulled the trigger and managed to take out both attacks. Mist covered his vision and blocked out Vincent and all of the others. What were they up to? "Firano!" at least a dozen flame arrows headed towards Beat who jumped to the side to avoid them.

Out of nowhere Azure came from the air lifting his scythe and beginning to swing down on him. He landed a direct hit and the scythe began freezing Beat's limbs, and more importantly his guns. Beat gritted his teeth and was about to try and kick Azure away, but his limbs wouldn't move. He tried to keep on moving but nothing would happen.

"Your not going anywhere." CJ said as Beat looked over towards his brother who was crouched down with one hand on the ground and the other aimed towards him.

"Bastard! You magnetized me to the ground didn't you!" he said trying to move.

CJ didn't answer, but simply began to shoot lighting towards him. Beat then looked up and saw the flame arrows head down towards him, Adelle had changed their direction! "Runaega!"

Another ice lance now headed towards him. And with his hands and gun frozen he couldn't even counter their attacks. Beat looked towards Vincent and then let balled his fist up. "Rachel said he was a pain in the ass, but how far ahead does this bastard think!" He mumbled right before all three attacks hit him.

Rachel scowled and the turned towards Vincent angrily. "How did you-"

"He can rapid fire as much as he wants, but those little charge shots he makes require his guns to 'reload' If that's what you'd call it. I knew he'd be able to dodge that attack so I told CJ to stick his feet to the ground as soon as he did so. From there is was basic." Vincent said smiling towards his sister evilly. "For families sake, I'll give you one last chance to fall back before I finish you off."

Rachel pulled out her book and then returned his wicked smile. "I don't think you understand exactly what your up against. You have literally only been up against one spell. Did you think that this was all we had in our arsenal.?" She said before opening up the book and flipping to the next page.

Out of the smoke another shot beamed out and then cleared all of the smoke out. Beat was standing up and smiling at them but his eyebrow was twitching. He was obviously annoyed and stomped his foot on the ground. "That was the first time that runt ever managed to hit me in his life! Who in the world is this guy! Not even Rachel is that good of a battle strategist! Rachel, lets kick it up a notch!" Beat demanded as he prepared to charge again.

CJ suddenly appear in front of him and then punched forward making sure to add as much lightening to it as possible. He kept up the barrage of punches not willing to let up

on the assault on his brother for even a second. "_Vincent's plan was right down to the last mark. I have to at least keep it together until he can think of something else._" CJ thought as he kept up the assault. Beat then raised his hand catching one of his fist.

The younger brother tried to electrocute him, but the quick witted Beat stepped on his foot and then hit him on his head with his elbow. He then lifted his foot and stepped on CJ's back stomping him down to the ground. "Did you think that you could win with a trick or two up your sleeve? You haven't forgotten that I'm the older brother have you?" He asked smirking to himself.

CJ rolled out of the way of the next stomp and then spun around on his back kicking the older brothers foot in the process. He managed to make his brother flip and fall to the ground and then quickly got to his feet taking advantage of the situation. "We promised back home that everything would be no holds bars right?" He asked as he focused all the lighting he could into his arm. He was going to run through him with one shot. "Besides, this probably won't kill you anyway." He said charging at him.

He thirsted his hand forward and was flabbergasted when Beat reached up and grabbed his wrist. "Did you think just because you made up some supa attack you could pull off a win. This ain't some video game bro." He said sighing. CJ then smiled as he formed a ball of lighting in front of his fist. Beat looked in disbelief as he watched his brother launch the ball of lighting into his stomach and sending him flying back.

As he crashed into the side of a nearby building CJ looked with an unshaken face. "Get up. We both know you wouldn't go down in such a loser way. Don't think I'll stop my attack just to wait for you to fool around!" He yelled rushing forward once again. This time his brother took him seriously quickly getting out of the ruble and readying himself. He still didn't wipe the smirk of his face.

This angered CJ even more, but he didn't stop for a second. He jumped up and kicked Beat in the head, but was surprised when he saw his brother move to the side dodging it only by an inch. He flipped onto his hand and began spinning and kicked his little brother in his rib cage. He knocked him down and then looked up only to see his brother bring his foot down on with as much force as possible. He rolled over managing to avoid it, but slipped when it caused a small crater in the ground.

"You're a lot quicker and agile then the last time I saw you. Looks like you weren't blowing smoke." Beat sliding back up to a hand stand.

"I don't' know what kind of knew fighting style you have, but it won't work against me! I won't lose no matter what!" CJ said as he got up and took a Muay Thai stance.

"You taught him Muay Thai? I thought you said you'd never practice it again?" Rachel asked smirking towards Vincent.

"Shut up." Vincent said simply.

CJ jumped forward and managed to her a hold of Beat's head. Vincent was a little surprised at how much his clinching technique had come along. He began kneeing Beat in the stomach and then smashed him in the back of the head with his elbow. CJ was about to try to follow up with the assault but Beat managing to grab his shirt and then punched him in the face. CJ nearly fell but moved his foot back keeping himself upright.

Right before he was about to swing again CJ covered his body in lighting and Beat stopped dead in his tracks. No matter how much stronger he was lighting and lighting, and that last attack CJ delivered was no joke. "Just because you won't attack me doesn't mean you won't get shocked." CJ said as a few streaks of lightening flew from his body and hit Beat knocking him flat on his back.

"Give up!" CJ said with a smirk.

Beat returned the smirk and placed his hands flat on the ground. "Bijura!" Beat shot a sound wave from his hand right into the ground and the spot right beneath CJ and himself was destroyed. Beat flipped back up to his feet as CJ jumped back to avoid the mini explosion.

"Why are you even fighting?" Rachel said chuckling to herself. "I wouldn't think there would be a point to it since we've already taken out Kai and Grace. By the way, Teal's technique it looking great these days. She really kept up her training didn't she?" Rachel asked with a smile on her face.

Vincent turned towards her with anger in his eyes. He then smiled evilly towards her. "Trying to get under my skin with that is pretty stupid. You ought to know that if you had even touched Teal then you would already be dead." He said stepping towards her.

"Look at you, talking about defending your girlfriend. You've grown so much since you were that coward who couldn't even look a girl straight in the eyes. Mr. Gynophobia." the girl taunted as she began moving towards him as well.

Rika overheard this and then remembered back to the time Vincent swung at her. Was that the reason he had blown up like that. She had no idea he was afraid of her. It gave her a hint of amusement, but also a hint of guilt as well. "If you two are brother and sister then you two shouldn't be fighting. Why don't you two stop this before those two get out of hand!" Rika demanded as she stepped in between them.

Vincent and Rachel looked at her and were about to keep charging but then saw Rai step in as well. "As much as I'm not in the position to lecture siblings, I have to agree with my sis here. Just because you two don't get along doesn't mean you should be making brother fight. We're both willing to stop this mess if you are." He said looking towards Rachel more the Vincent.

"I agree." Beat said simply.

"Me too. This sucks and I have no idea what's going one. I quit." CJ said.

Rachel looked at Beat and scowled. "Quit trying to have your little brotherly moment and get back to fighting. Their the ones who came to us, so we have every right to fight back!" Rachel reasoned.

"C'mon CJ." Vincent said simply. Everyone looked towards Vincent who was beginning to walk off as CJ jumped onto his back. They couldn't believe he was just going to leave things like this. They expected a bit more of a fight from him. He turned back and glared towards them all. "I could care less about CJ and Beat's rivalry. But I'm going to take down Rachel one way or another. I'll be totally honest and admit I can't do it now. But watch your back, cause we'll both be back stronger then ever,"

Rachel was about to go after him but Beat grabbed her hand. "You said he was impatient when you described him to me, but that's obviously not the case. If you go after him now you won't get what you want. Let him go for now." He said as Rachel glared at him.

"Don't too comfortable. When I get stronger I'll come back and beat you, and mom. And every damn member we got in the family if I have to." Vincent said getting back on his bike. "And don't brother coming back home. Grandma doesn't want to see you either." He lied hoping it would keep her away.

"See ya Nii-chan. Next time we fight Nee-sama will be in it too, and it'll be over the title for king." CJ said waving to his big brother.

* * *

Vincent entered his house and let out a sigh glad this whole day was over for now. He managed to slip away without any hostility from his sister, but he wasn't sure he'd be so lucky next time. "I'm home Grandma. Please don't give me any crap, I had a really rough day-"

He suddenly felt a pair of arms wrap around his neck and looked up to see Aaron who was smiling goofily at him. "It's been a while since we got to eat dinner together as a family! Hurry up and get to the table before I explode!" Aaron said cheerfully as he dragged the black haired teen over towards the table.

When he looked up he was shocked to see Rachel, Beat, and Angie sitting at the table as well. "What the hell is this? And who the hell is she!" Vincent yelled pointing towards Angie.

"Be quiet. You don't get to ask questions after coming home so late." Rachel lectured.

"She's right. Sit down and eat your dinner. Be sure not to come home to late again. Your too young to be spending so much time with a girl." His grandmother said right along with Rachel.

"I'm Angie. I'm your brother partner. I won't be a bother and I'll gladly keep to myself so long as you do the same. You'll hardly know I'm here." Angie said sipping from a cup of tea. Vincent decided she would be the one he'd probably like the most.

"You know me already. Sorry if my music keeps you up at night. I'm going to be a famous rapper some day." Beat said giving him a thumbs up. Vincent then decided Beat would be the one he hated the most.

The black haired teen got up and glared at his older brother and sister. "We'll also be coming to your new school tomorrow. I didn't like the one you were enrolled in so I switched them. You'll be going to school with Derrick and Haley. I set up your schedule already." Rachel said tossing him a piece of paper.

"You! What the hell do you think this is! You can't just come in here and boss me around like when we were kids! I'm the man of this house now!" Vincent argued fuming.

She smirked at him and then got up holding her bowl up. "I thought about that when I first came into town. I figured you were a big boy and could make your own decision, and I couldn't do anything about it. But after today and with you admitting you not strong enough yet, I figure you need some sisterly guidance in your life again." She said with a devilish smirk.

He so desperately wanted to call her a word that rhymed with witch, and started with a 'B' but he knew if he started a fight now he was bound to loose. And what was worse is that the old bag seemed to be on her side as well. Besides, he wouldn't go crawling to his grandma anyhow. "I'm not doing anymore work then I would normally do. And your better not embarrass me ether." He said heading to bed.

After making sure he was in his room his grandmother spoke up. "How long do you think he can be bossed around Rachel. Even I think your pushing him a little too far this time around." The old woman said continuing to eat her bowl of rice.

"Mom doesn't. In fact she didn't think I could be doing things any better." Rachel replied smugly.

"Your never to old to be bent over a knee girl." She threatened as Aaron kept on eating trying to ignore the argument. He hated to see the two women of the household clash, and quite frankly it made him want to run and hide.

"I think both of you are overreacting to the situation. He can obviously handle whatever problems may come himself. My brother seems to share a decent amount of trust in him. As his sister shouldn't you?" Angie threw in.

"Oh shit." Beat said rolling under the table.

"I'm out." Aaron said getting up.

"With all due respect I think this should stay in between member of the family." Rachel said glaring at the red head.

"According to your brother I her daughter inlaw and your sister inlaw, so I think I may be entitled to the right to throw my name in the hat." Angie said simply.

"This is not happening…" Aaron said nervously.

"Are you going to let her talk to your older sister like that!" Rachel said glaring towards Aaron whose face was turning blue.

"I like this girl." Their grandmother commented smiling.

* * *

**A/N: Didn't exactly know how I should have ended this chapter, so I hope people are salty about the result. I added the last part cause Rachel and Angie just seemed like they would have that shaky relationship. **

**I also wanted to get the twins a little action in this chapter. Grace's fight with Angie was kind of meant to make a light rivalry between them. And no action for Alice this chapter.(Sorry cuz.) But the little bear will get some fighting time in next time. **

**Anyhow I hoped you enjoyed the chap. The next one will kind of pick up where this one left off, and more importantly, there will be sand. Lots and lots of sand!**


	12. ROUND ONE! FIGHT!

Vincent laid in his bed trying to get as much rest as possible. After all was said and done he couldn't prevent his sister from coming home, and what was worst is that two mamodo were living with him as well. He believed he could trust Aaron. Not just because he was adopted, but because he was stupidly kind. He was one of the people Vincent considered a 'Nice moron'. It was Rachel that he couldn't trust. What if she tried to sneak in and burn his book while he was sleeping.

"Morning." Rachel said standing right over him. He immediately jumped up and backed away from her falling out of his bed in the process. She looked at him as if he were crazy and then held up a trey of food. It was eggs, pancakes, and sausage. "Paranoid? I was only going to ask if you wanted something to eat, but I guess your not hungry for your big sisters home cooking." She said smiling as she set the trey down.

"Get out of my room." He said bitterly as he slowly got up and headed for his closest. He hadn't noticed CJ crawling over his shoulder and towards his breakfast. "Just because your home doesn't mean your allowed to act all motherly and crap. You stay out of my way and I'll stay out of yours." He said he said grabbing the nearest shirt he could get his hands on. He then grabbed a skateboard and tossed it at CJ knocking him away from his food.

"You just said you didn't want it!" CJ complained as Rachel headed out of the door. She knew he was probably going to eat it later, but that idiots pride wouldn't let him do it in front of his sister. "C'mon!" She heard CJ yell as she made her way down the stairs.

* * *

The only good thing about the day so far was that it was Saturday, meaning he wouldn't have to go to school today. So he decided to spend what little freedom he had left at one of the most peaceful places he could find. "Why do you always come to the roof? It's not like no one is going to find you here?" Teal said opening his window as she made her way to his side. She laid down and looked up into the air with him wondering what he was staring at. "Nothing." She said simply.

"Did you think I was staring at something? I was just staring up at the sky. Nothing else to do to kill time. Can't play games since Aaron and that rapping freak my sister brought home are annoying. And she's going around the house like nothing has changed." He complained as he sat up while still staring up at the sky. He let out a sigh and then scowled. How could things go south so quickly in one day.

"At least the red headed girl isn't that annoying." Teal said pointing over towards Angie who was standing in a nearby tree and seeming to be asleep.

"She's tolerable, but rest of them are driving me insane, and it's only been about three hours since I've woken up." He argued as he stomped his foot down on the roof angrily. He knew he was over his sisters room, so he took some enjoyment in that.

Teal smiled as she slide closer to him and smiled. "You got me." She said brushing her hair back.

He couldn't help but smirk when he heard that. Everyone who seemingly left was coming back, but she was the only person who made him happy about that. "That's not fair." He said as he leaned towards her about to plant a kiss. At least no one was going to interrupt them this time. He could care less if Angie was there since he knew she was either sleeping of just didn't care.

"What are you guys doing?" CJ asked smirking devilishly. He saw Teal back up and blush in panic while Vincent balled his fist up and then went after the boy. He had one peaceful moment during the day and this kid just came and ruined it. "Whoa! I didn't even do anything! I was just going to come and ask you guys if you wanted to come to the beach with us!" CJ asked easily avoiding the older boy.

Vincent stopped for a moment and raised an eyebrow. "The beach? How in the world were you going to get there? You don't even have train tickets and It's takes an hour and a half to get there. And who is us? Who else is going?" Vincent questioned.

"Me, Alice, Derrick, Kai, and Haley. Derrick and Alice were going at first, but Haley and Kai wanted to come as well. Alice called me and asked me if we all wanted to come, and I said yes." CJ said as he began crawling back through the window. Vincent grabbed his ankle and pulled him up into the air.

He glared at him as the toddler just smiled and held onto his hat. "Why would you invite without even asking me first. Call them back and tell them my answer is n-"

"Yes." Rachel finished as Vincent jumped back and nearly fell off the roof. One he regained his balance he glared over at his sister, but she seemed not to even notice the killing stare. "Before I left you didn't any friends besides Teal. If you think I'm going to let you distance yourself from the few ones you have now, you'd have to be crazy." She said simply.

"I'm not going." Vincent said turning away.

"Yes you are." She said glaring at him.

"Make me." He challenged.

Right before the two were about to charge at each other Teal stepped in between the two of them. She looked back and forth at the two of them and then broke out in a smirk. "I-I'll got to the beach instead. It's been a long time since Rachel and I have talked, so it'll be fun right?" She said not believing what she was saying. She was just trying to keep them from fighting, but she cursed herself for not thinking of something better then that.

"I don't really like you. I can honestly understand why my mom was so displeased with your relationship. No offense, but you're a bit homely…" Rachel admitted coldly.

There were a few seconds of silence before Teal balled her fist up and began heading towards the darker skinned girl. Vincent quickly ran up and grabbed Teal from behind keeping her from rampaging. "Homely! I'll show you homely you no good pig headed wench!" She said as she thrashed about trying to break loose from Vincent's grip. He was getting more and more nervous. He knew having this many women in the house at once would blow up in his face.

He had to think of something to stop this. "Teal, a day at the beach sounds like a nice date doesn't it! We can ditch everyone else and just go have fun by ourselves! And Grace and Kai can look after Alice and the runt!" He said as Teal suddenly stopped. She looked back at him for a few seconds and he had no idea if he should have been happy or braced himself for a blow to the face. He never could understand what girls were thinking.

"I-I guess that sounds nice." she said as Vincent let out a sigh of relief. He then glared at Rachel who had a smirk curling on her face as she jumped down onto the front lawn. He couldn't believe she had suckered him again. She knew him even better then he did sometimes.

* * *

It was tense. So tense most of the others felt like they were going to choke. It was surprising that Vincent was even going along with this, but with his brother and sister, along with their partners was just too much for most of them. Alice seemed to most visibly disturbed on their train ride there since she sat beside CJ grabbing onto his arm as she kept her eyes on Beat nearly the whole trip there. "Are you sure he won't attack, CJ-kun?" She asked trying to hide herself between him and Derrick.

"Don't worry Alice. I'm sure is he tries anything your knight in shining amour here will come to your aid." Derrick teased as Alice blushed and quickly let go of CJ. The boy didn't seem to be listening though. He had fallen asleep a while ago. It had seemed the battle yesterday had taken more of a toll then he had let on.

Kai on the other hand was handling his problem a different way. He was sitting right across from Angie who was wearing a blue shirt and jeans now. The only thing keeping him from telling her apart from Haley was her pony tail. And the fact that he kept glaring at her bitterly. She didn't seem to be paying him any mind as she simply read the paper and not even giving him a glance. "You can stare as much as you want, but it won't change what happened. I apologized already, so get over it." She said simply.

"You stabbed me." He said simply as he kept on glaring at her.

Grace seemed to be oblivious to the tension and kept on listening to her ipod as if none of this had ever happened. Everyone was also curious as to how Vincent felt about this whole thing. They didn't know the situation between the three siblings, but it obviously wasn't good. "How has Chinchou been?" Rachel asked smiling at Vincent who simply glared in return. "I heard he's been transferring schools just to keep an eye on you. Have you been causing that much trouble?" She asked.

"I'm sure he's been keeping on his toes with Chinchou watching over him. That guy is almost as strong as dad." Aaron said. Vincent grunted when he heard the word 'Dad'. It wasn't like he was desperate to know about his father or anything, but he hated being the only once left out about his father. And pride wouldn't allow him to ask his brother or sister about it.

* * *

The train ride wasn't too much longer. When they had gotten to the station they made their way down to the beach and headed to the changing rooms. Vincent didn't bother helping CJ this time. He usually always got tangled up in knew clothes, but he couldn't have been so stupid as to actually mess up with swimming trunks could he? "Vincent, I need help." CJ said desperately.

"No, your big enough to master the art of swimming trunks. If you can't even master that I don't know the point of helping you anyhow." He said sliding his swimming trunks on so CJ could get an example. He suddenly found that CJ had jumped on his back and was angrily clinging onto him. "Get your naked ass off me you rodent brat!" He yelled trying to shake him off.

Derrick watched and let a sigh out, but then smirked. It was kind of amusing to see them like this. And he couldn't help but think back to what Vincent's grandmother had said about he and CJ. He could see a change in the boy's personality. He then looked over at Beat who was standing near the wall and smiling. "What are you doing?" he asked curiously. He was a bit nervous about talking to him, but he sort of asked out of impulse.

"My glasses have X-ray vision, and the girls changing room is right beside ours. Did you want to take a look too?" He asked smirking deviously. Derrick looked with disbelief and gulped as he thought about the offer. It was tempting, but someone was telling him he shouldn't.

But then again, it seemed to tempting to pass up. He reached to get the glasses but suddenly someone flew by him and they split right in two. His forehead was also cut and he fell back grabbing onto it to try and stop the blood from spewing out. Derrick looked in disbelief and backed up clearly frightened while the others simply looked slightly surprised. Meanwhile in the girls room the others were trying to figure out why Angie had nearly sliced through the wall. "Idiots." She mumbled to herself.

"What was that about?" Haley asked confused.

"She was simply putting a little fear into the peeping toms. Nothing to worry about." She assured. She got changed quickly since she wanted to try surfing. She had honestly never been to the beach before, so there were a lot of things she would want to try. Alice felt a little out of place. She was the youngest girl here, and honestly she felt a little outdone around these more mature teens. "They'll get bigger." Alice blushed and quickly covered her chest as she made a beeline for the door.

Rachel laughed getting the others attention. "It's funny to see how younger girls worry about that type of thing. I guess when you get older you'll realize how trivial it is. But I can see why you do worry, since some of you are still late bloomers." She said glancing towards Teal who returned the intense glare. The others didn't seem to take to kindly to her ether. Haley wondered if there was some truth to those overplayed rivalry between girls, but she quickly brushed the thought aside. She was sure the guys were just as annoyed with Aaron.

* * *

"Your brothers pretty awesome you know." Derrick said as he and Vincent watched the blond juggle five volley balls at once. CJ and Beat were throwing even more items into the circle, but he was keeping up just fine. Vincent responded to the statement with a simple grunt and then got up and stretched his limbs. He should have known the girls were going to take long in the changing room.

"I'm going to go check on Teal and the others." he said dryly as he made his way to the changing room. Suddenly a volley ball flew towards him at match speed. Vincent turned around and then punched the ball upwards and sent it flying. He then glared at his brother who was smiling happily with a serious look in his eyes. "The hell you think your doing blondie?" Vincent asked balling his fist up angrily.

Aaron smiled as he grabbed another volley ball and then tossed it up and down in his hand. "We usually played basketball when we were little, but volley ball will just have to do this time huh?" He asked in a challenging tone. Vincent rolled his eyes and turned around to leave. He didn't have time to humor this idiot right now. "Funny, I never recalled you being a coward before I left. Must have softened up while I was gone huh?" Aaron smirking.

"Runners and the runt are on my team. You can have the lazy wimp and DJ dufus." He said making sure to call everyone by their not so respective nicknames. After all was said and done everyone got to their sides and began the game. "I get first serve." Vincent said as he through the ball up and smashed it into the air. It landed perfectly over onto Aaron's side just barely avoiding the net on the way down.

"Just like old times." Aaron said smirking. Vincent couldn't help but smirk as well as he setup for the next serve.

CJ fought back the tears as Alice examined his face which was red and covered in volley ball patterns. "Stop it! I said I was fine!" CJ said as Alice touched his face causing him to wince in pain. As the game went on longer everyone began to grow more excited, and when Aaron had spiked it CJ's way the boy seemed to get a little too over excited. He jumped full speed thinking it would be a normal spike, but it ended up catching him off guard and hit him dead square in the face.

"It's okay if you cry you know. I won't tell anyone." Alice said noticing that his eyes were on the verge of overflowing with tears. He always fought them back out of some sort of pride, but he was nothing short of a crybaby. He didn't let anyone see him cry. He just waited until he was alone and cried it out when he knew no one could hear him. She frowned and then let out a sigh as she walked off. He hopped up to his feet and made his way to the changing room.

"Where you going?" Vincent asked.

"I… left my hat in the room." He said sniffling.

"But you can't swim in a hat anyhow." Vincent reasoned. CJ flinched at that comment and then ran even faster. The other thought that was a bit suspicious but all brushed it aside. Except Angie who simply shook her head. "He can't swim can he?" Vincent asked looking over towards the eldest of Nana's Trio.

"Most rodents are born with an inability to swim. We tried to teach him once when he was little, but he refused to even get in the water." She explained. She then saw the look on Vincent's face and sighed. "I know what your going to try and do. Forcing him into the water won't work. At best you'll only worsen his fears." She said as Vincent ignored her and went after CJ.

After a few seconds they heard struggling and then saw Vincent coming out and keeping the boy in a headlock. He kept on moving towards the water as the boys heart beat louder ever step closer he took to the water. "S-stop it! I can't swim okay!" CJ yelled trying to kick free. Kai couldn't help but snicker but Haley quickly elbowed him to make him stop. She didn't like that fact Vincent was doing something so reckless. It seemed more like he was bullying him then teaching him how to swim.

"If you don't face something as simple as water then how to you expect me to make you a king. Just relax and calm down. In your rodent form you may not be able to, but in human form your more then capable of doing something as simple as swimming." He assured as CJ continued to struggle. He wanted to plead with Vincent to stop, but he didn't want to do it in front of the others. He felt he feet dip into the water and shiver. "When you in water fear is the worst thing you can have. Calm down, and it'll be easy. Panic, and you'll drown."

"That is not reassuring… not in the least." Derrick said shaking his head at him.

CJ closed his eyes tight and tried to imagine being somewhere else, but he could feel the water up against his chest. He breathed in and out trying to calm himself. "Relax you idiot, I didn't let you get your book burnt so I'm sure as heel not going to let you drown in three feet of water. Put too much effort into this crap." He said as he let up on his grip and simply hung onto his arm. "You can stand in this water. So you don't have a reason to worried."

CJ turned around and looked and then was shocked when he saw Vincent had let go of him. His heart seemed to sink and he froze where he stood. He feared that if he moved he would end up fifty feet under somehow. He was about to ask him to come back but then he saw something swimming around him. Teal popped her head up out of the water and smiled at the boy. "Believe it or not swimming used to be my hobby before I got into pro boxing. I won't let you drown." She said as he felt some relief.

The others were a bit surprised about how graceful Teal was in the water. "Seems like her having flat chest paid off in at least one way." Rachel commented. She then leaned her head to the side barely avoiding a shell that whizzed through the air and kept going striking Aaron right dead in his forehead. "Did your fingers slip Vincent?" She asked raising an eyebrow at him.

"Yeah." He answered glaring at her. The last thing he needed was his girlfriend and his sister getting into a catfight.

"Why didn't you tell us you couldn't swim? We could have gone somewhere else if we had known that." Alice said entering in after CJ who was holding on tightly to Haley's arms.

"I didn't want everyone to go somewhere else just because I couldn't swim." CJ admitted nervously. He couldn't keep his face from turning red with embarrassment.

"And you want to be like Vincent? I'm just not getting the connection here. It's so weird." Aaron said scratching the back of his head.

"Of course your not getting it, you're a blond." Vincent shot back.

"Touché."

It wasn't long until everyone was in the water. Well, mostly everyone. Beat and Derrick stayed on the beach, mostly just to look around at the girls on the beach. Rachel, Grace,

and Grace were attractive, but any of the girls could easily break their necks if they were caught peeking. Plus Angie was Beat's sister, so it would be just… weird. Haley was as gorgeous as ever in Derrick's eyes, but her bathing suit covered too much. Most of her stomach was covered, and she was wearing shorts. "Stop staring." Haley scolded.

"Can't help it. Your beauty is so intoxicating I couldn't help myself." He said smiling at her and trying to put on his most charming face. She smirked at him and then flipped his beach chair over causing him to fall into the sand. "I'll get a yes out of one of you girls one of these days. Teal and that other red head are officially off limits but everyone else is free game." He said jumping back up to his feet.

CJ was in the water doing his best to swim. He felt a little more comfortable knowing Kai and Alice were right behind him, but wasn't willing to let go of his crushing grip on the older boys arm. "Don't worry so much, we won't let you drown or anything." Alice assured trying to help him ease up. He shook his head and still clung onto Kai's arm as he looked down at the water. Although he was only about in four feet of water he felt like he was in the middle of the ocean.

"I-I'm going back on land." He said nervously as he made his way back towards the shore. He hesitantly leg go of Kai and slowly swam only to be grabbed by Alice who was smiling at him. "W-what are you smiling about?" He asked.

"Your swimming!" She said cheerfully. He blushed once she grabbed his hands and pulled him along after her and Kai. "Don't worry, just keep doing what your doing and we'll guide you along." She said as his blushed deepened. He was being led by a girl of all people.

He suddenly felt something grab his leg and looked back to see a dark figure under the water pulling him down. Before he could even say anything his whole body was dragged under and he was being pulled through the water at top speed. He felt a pair of sharp teeth around his ankle as he was being pulled, but he assumed it wasn't a shark since it wasn't tearing into his leg yet. So this was how he was going to die? By going through his worst fear? How was that fair?

Suddenly he felt his body go above land and quickly took in a deep breath once he knew he had the ability to breath again. He didn't know how far he was pulled or for how long, but he had come much closer to running out of breath then he would have liked. "So, you're the little punk that's been putting the moves on my sister? Was it him?" A boy asked as he tossed CJ onto the beach.

He was a tall boy with silver hair and grayish eyes. He wore a black tank top with grey baggy pants and had a grey headband wrapped around his forehead. When he saw the boys sharp teeth he could tell he was the one who bit him and dragged him here. He was about to speak until the boy looked up at the boys rage filled eyes. He was genuinely scared once he gazed into them. "W-who are you?" CJ asked nervously.

The boy didn't bother answered him. He simply growled and then grabbed him from the front of his shirt. "I want you to answer all of my questions. Question one, why are you hanging around my sister? And whose that book owners of yours?" He asked glaring at him.

"That was two questions!" CJ said glaring right back. He was scared, but that didn't mean he was going to act like some coward.

He expected to honestly get hit, but it never came. "Ah, he's right. That was to questions." The boy said thinking carefully over it. He didn't know if he should start over or just force him to answer them both. He then growled lowly at the younger boy and lifted him up even higher. "Well, answer them both anyway or I'll break you in two!" he threatened.

CJ responded by biting the boys hand with as much force as possible and then kicked away managing to distance himself from the older boy. "Back off Smokey!" CJ shouted as he prepared to charge at him. He ran forward but found himself moving slower then he wanted to move. He was trying to go full speed, but couldn't for some reason. He then found the silver haired boy behind him and drop kicking him to the ground.

"For one of Nana's trio you sure are slow. Or could it be your just not use to running on sand? I saw you struggling to swim so it's pretty obvious your not a beach dweller." He said with a bit a of smirk on his face. He was about to charge at him again but suddenly found Angie jumping in front of him. He jumped back with a grit and then raised his guard. "Big sister coming to the rescue? A little sad isn't it?" He asked.

"As if you should talk. I don't think Alice would be to pleased with what your doing to my little brother Anaso. Maybe we should take this up with her before this gets any worse." Angie asked as the boy scowled and raised an eyebrow. The last thing he needed was his baby sister here to nag him out.

He suddenly felt another aura behind him and quickly jumped to the side to avoid Beat's fist coming down upon him. A small crater in the sand appeared and Beat looked up with a smile before standing straight up again. "Great Kuma huh? I'm interested in seeing how much stronger I've gotten. This should be a good test run. Angie and CJ, do me a favor and stay out of this." Beat requested as he began walking forward.

"Sunglasses and headphones on the beach? Lame." Anaso said as he charged at Beat ready to strike. Right before the two could even collide they saw Alice standing between them, and she looked fairly angry towards her brother. "A-Alice-chan!" He said panicking. They were a bit surprised. Nana's trio didn't make this guy even flinch, but seeing his baby sister was apparently worst then looking death in the face.

"Nii-chan! I can't believe you just attacked my friend out of nowhere! What's wrong with you! Your acting worst then a child!" She shouted as her brother flinched at every word his younger sister barked at him.

He stood and rubbed the back of his head for a few seconds then looked up angrily and pointed towards CJ. "D-don't act like you don't know why I'm attacking him! I'm an older brother so it's my job to tear this guy apart! Just be glad it was me who got to your little boyfriend and not dad! He'd eat this guy alive…. literally!" Anaso reasoned as he lifted up CJ by his foot.

Alice seemed star struck and suddenly turned beet red once she figured out what her brother was implying. CJ was turning red too, but he began pointing to himself making sure everyone was talking about him. When he looked around and saw everyone nodding his face darkened as well. "S-stop being stupid! There's no way in the world that guy would be my boyfriend! Your crazy!" She yelled panicking.

"Then why were you holding hands in the water!" Anaso accused as CJ struggled to break loose from the big brothers tight grip on his ankle. "And not to mention that you were being all mushy eyed while you were teaching him how to swim! Any brother would have to act once they see their sister getting that close to some guy!"

"By drowning him? Dude I'm all for the beating up my sisters boyfriend, albeit when she's not there, but that's a little extreme." Beat said scratching his head. "Just put rat poison in his cereal or something. He'll get sick as hell but he'll live." Beat suggested only to receive a slap in the back of the head from his elder sister.

"Not a bad idea…" Anaso thought before receiving a kick in the shin from Alice. He grunted and gave a glare to his baby sister as he grabbed his leg, but then quickly turned his attention back to CJ who was glaring sternly at the older boy. "Still, the rules of a family say that for you to be allowed to date the victim had to beat me in a fight, and for you to be married they have to beat dad!" He said pointing towards CJ who was picking his ears.

"He's not my boyfriend! And there's no rules in the family that say that! Your making things up!" Alice shouted pointing at him angrily.

He turned his head away and then scoffed. "It is now." He said grumpily.

"I'll fight him." CJ said surprising everyone. Alice was about to shout something out at him and Angie was going to knock some sense into him, but he spoke once more. "I don't care about going out of marrying anyone, but I won't get to take a shot at the Great Kuma everyday, so I might as well take this one." He said with a smirk on his face.

Before Angie or Beat could cut in they heard clapping coming from behind. "Good, that's how the next person I'm going to make king should act." Vincent said as he approached from behind. He wore a wide smirk on his face as he walked past Beat and patted CJ on the shoulder. "This'll be a great chance to test out a new strategy I've been working on. I want you to do exactly as I say." He said as he bent down whispering into CJ's ear.

After CJ heard everything his partner had to tell him he let a smile loose. He began walking towards Anaso who was cracking his knuckles. "_Nee-sama, Nii-chan! I want you guys to watch me closely so you can see how much stronger I've become._" He thought as he braced himself.

* * *

A few blocked away on top of a nearby building two figures were watching. One of them was a teenager with white hair and ruby eyes. He stood around 1.6 meters tall, and wore a black shirt along with a brown fur jacket which covered a large part of his body. He wore grey pants and on his back, he held an empty hilt which was completely empty, and on his finger was a ring with several wings on it.

The other was a girl with long light violet hair dressed in a purple silk dress. Slung around her arms was a leather bag. She's wasn't too tall and not too short, and had a mature face. She looked to be in her early twenties. "Are you worried about him?" She asked smirking towards the boy who was crossing his arms.

"What? I'm not worried about that dumb ass. I' actually kind of hoping he gets beaten this time. That kid takes him down and I get bragging rights for the rest of my life." He said chuckling as he let a smirk come over his face.

"C'mon Neon, you have to be slightly worried. He's practically your best friend. You two were beating each other up when you were in diapers weren't you?" The woman asked as the boy's smirk was replaced with a scowl.

"Best friend would be to strong a word. Punching bag would be more like it. Don't just throw things around randomly Nell." He said letting a grunt out.

"Neon had a best friend!" Nell said in a sing song verse. "Why are boys so touchy about admitting they have friends?"

"Not friends. Rivals. Distinct difference." Neon said grumpily. "Anyhow the worst case scenarios is that Anaso's partner shows up. That girls insane, and all hells going to break loose." He said with a bit of a smirk.

* * *

**A/N: Before anyone asks, yes this is me, i'm alive despite my LONG absence. I've been out of the game for a long time. I've seen some things man. Awful things. Things that would make other people take a load in their pants. Naw i'm just kidding. I was just being lazy. Anyway the new look for Anaso was Iron's idea. He wanted me to tell you all he's been busy trying to get his drivers license and dealing with his new job at Giants.(Wimp...) But anyhow, I wanted to throw Neon in there with Anaso. I mean in mine and others stories their ether helping or beating the hell out of eachother, so you know. **

**The other thing I was a little worried about was how to end this chapter. I know it's a cliff hanger but there were a lot of different ways to tackle the end. I honestly was struggling to decided who I was going to throw in this chapter. I have a lot to work with. Anyhow the fight will only take up part of the chapter. The other will introduce an OC i've been dying to give a fight! **


	13. ROUND TWO! SWIM!

CJ was thinking through just how exactly he should approach this guy. He could tell with one glance he was someone who fought off instinct. If he attacked recklessly he'd be knocked out within seconds. He needed to look for an opening. He then smiled as he ran forward done with his plan. He knew he'd have to give Vincent a chance to observe him before he could choose which spell would work best.

Anaso took his approach differently. He did absolutely nothing. He wasn't one for making the first move. Once he got an idea on how this little punk fought it'd be easy to take him down. When CJ made his way up to Anaso he stopped and then kicked sand up into the air. Anaso scowled at the boy. This honestly seemed like something he would pull off. When the sand was gone he turned around and blocked CJ's kick.

"Your not bad when it comes to speed, but it's to easy to predict where your attacking from. Attacking from behind is one of the most basic things in fighting you know." He said as he raised his fist and punched forward at CJ who leaned back just enough to avoid the blow. He then wrapped around his arm showing no signs of letting go.

Anaso was about to slam him down to the ground, but suddenly felt a sharp pain on his fist. "Ow! You little-! H-he bit me!" Anaso yelled as he grabbed the back of CJ's shirt and began prying him off. CJ took the chance and quickly kicked away knowing a close range fight wasn't going to work in his favor without any spells. Anaso apparently realized this too, since he went right after him.

He didn't seem to want to give the boy any space to work with. He swung at CJ who was a little surprised at the speed his opponent was showing him. He thought he would be another slow hard hitter, but he was a little of both. CJ stopped for a moment kicking his foot up and causing Anaso to stop and lean back, but the silver haired brawler was surprised when he saw nothing but one of his sandals in the air before him. "_He tricked me!_"

Anaso turned to defend himself again, but suddenly felt a blow right in the side of his face. He stumbled back as CJ landed on the ground holding his shoe. The little sneak had never moved from where he was. Anaso was expecting him to make another attack from behind, but he simply used his shoe as cover and stood right where he was. "Don't look down on me you over hyped bastard!" CJ said as he swung his body and managed to get another kick in Anaso's face.

Alice smiled on the sidelines. She knew her brother was fierce, and he'd easily recover from an attack like that. But every second CJ wasn't getting hurt was a second she should be thankful her brother wasn't hurting him. But all and all this was her brother. She didn't want him hurt ether. She was simply happy no one had drew blood yet. Until she saw her brothers nose. "Oh no." She said worriedly.

Anaso wiped his nose on his sleeve and smiled. His eyes seemed to change a little after that. "You managed to make me bleed. I would call it a lucky shot, but I guess this is what I deserve for being careless." he said as he began rushing towards CJ who was smirking in victory. He figured he was just bluffing to get under his skin. But then Anaso suddenly busted forward with speed. It wasn't comparable to his, but it was enough to catch him off guard.

He took a blow to the face and flew back sliding against the sand. He then grabbed his now swollen cheek and looked towards his opponents who smiled contently. He suddenly felt his arms begin to shake. His was scared of getting hit like that again. He had been out sped for a moment, and even though he had seen his brother hit harder, he had never actually been hit that hard. This guy was instinctive, and vicious. "C'mon, what're you waiting for?" Anaso asked.

The brown haired boy nervously got to his feet as Angie scowled. "_He's afraid of being hit. Because he's always been so speedy and evasive he's not used to being hit. This isn't good._" She thought to herself. "Vincent, I'm sure you have some sort of plan to take Anaso down. Especially without his book owner here. Shouldn't you have used a spell by now?" She asked nonchalantly.

"Naw, going to leave him on his own for a little bit." He said picking his ear.

The others looked at him in surprise. "What are you saying! He's struggling out there! He needs help now! Read him a spell!" Derrick demanded.

"He's right! Nii-chan is going to pick him apart! You have to hurry and help him!" Alice said pulling on Vincent's trunks.

He scowled at her then pointed towards him. "See how he's shaking like that. He's scared to go back into a close combat fight. Fear can be both a weapon and a hindrance. When he's scared his speed will lower slightly, though his reaction my increase a bit his timing will be thrown off. So close combat is out too." Vincent said scratching his head.

Alice balled his fist up and glared at Vincent angrily. "So are you saying your just going to let him get beaten up! You have to help him! My brother doesn't know the meaning of holding back!" She whined as he pulled even harder almost throwing Vincent off balance.

He pulled away and then scowled at her. "And what exactly is a spell going to do if he doesn't have the guts to make it count! He can shoot fire of lighting all he wants but it won't make a damned difference if he doesn't do any damage!" Vincent shouted glared back at her. She kept on glaring unsatisfied with his answer, but there wasn't much she could do about it.

Meanwhile CJ was still his best of keep his distance from Anaso. The older boy was getting tired of this cat and mouse game. This wasn't a fight, this was more like a game of tag! "I guess you got jumbled up into Nana's trio just by being there. How far did you think your name alone would carry you?" Anaso asked kicking sand up into the air. When it went back down CJ had saw that Anaso had disappeared.

CJ began to panic. Suddenly it began to feel like he was in the water again. Fear was covering his whole body and he held a feelings of helplessness. He looked around trying to spot him, but couldn't. "You idiot! You should be able to hear him from a mile away even if he is underground! Don't tell me a little scare and you lose your battle sense completely! How am I supposed to make someone like you king?" Vincent yelled.

That seemed to hit him hard. He took a deep breath and regained his composure. The shaking stopped, but his fear didn't. He honestly didn't think it would until this stupid fight was over and done with. But at least now he was thinking properly. "Foku!" All of sudden CJ could instantly tell where he was. In fact he could tell where everything was located. He stomped his foot and then sent Anaso flying out of the ground.

Vincent smiled. He knew the rock spell would work out here. No matter how you looked at it sand were just smaller forms of rock. On the beach this spell gave them a huge advantage. "Your dead meat now!" CJ said now smiling widely. He raised his hand as sand began to shoot from the ground and grab Anaso. It quickly hardened turning into stone but Anaso had managed to break free before it got a decent hold on him.

As he landed he felt himself loose balance and begin to slip. The sand beneath him was caving in. "_He's scared when he's face with the unknown it seems. Water, loosing sight of the enemy, this could be a problem. We'll have to work on later, but for now this is a good way to chip away at it._" Vincent thought as he watched CJ send streams of sand after him.

Alice watched in amazement as the tide of the battle completely turned. She had never seen her brother pushed like this. It's not like she wanted him to lose, but it was something she had never experienced before. She wasn't sure weather to cheer of to try and stop this. But then she made a quick choice. "Go CJ!" She shouted loudly.

Anaso stopped and then looked towards his little sister. "Y-your rooting for him! I can't believe you'd root against you own big brother! I've never been so hurt in-" Anaso was cut off by the double kick to the face CJ delivered while he was distracted. He stumbled back and was about to charge again but suddenly smet something familiar. He turned and his face turned blue once he recognized who it was. "That bastard is watching? Now I have to end this quickly." He said as he sprinted forward.

CJ jumped at him and covered his fist with hardened sand, but Anaso met him blow for blow as their fist collided. The smaller fighter flew back but was quickly met with an elbow in the stomach. Anaso then threw another fist and knocked him to the ground hard causing Alice to gasp and Vincent to ball his fist in anger. This wasn't a matter of strategy anymore. He could now clearly tell it was a matter of fighting experience. Anaso wasn't only fighting with instincts. He was fighting with years of battle experience behind him.

"Stop it!" Alice yelled angrily.

Anaso turned to look at her but then was suddenly hit by a ball of hardened sand. Anaso gritted his teeth and turned back around to see CJ barely able to stand on his feet. He lifted his hands and caused a wave of sand rise up. He then punched forward shooting clumps of sand at him. Anaso blocked but it got into his eyes and mouth. And not to mention his nose. "_Bastard!_" Anaso couldn't smell of see him now.

CJ came up from behind and landed a kick squarely in his face. Anaso once again stumbled back, but this time he had his hand aimed upwards. "Kironu!" a silver spiraling blast shot up into the air from his finger and barely avoided hitting CJ. It kept on going into the water and caused a massive wave around it before it finally went out of sight. CJ wondered what was going on here! He thought his partner wasn't supposed to be here!

When the others look around they could see a girl standing a few feet away from where they were. Sure enough she was holding a book. Plus no one else was around since they wanted to make sure no one was here to see the fight besides them. The girl had long red hair tied into two pony tails on the sides of her head. She wore a white short sleeve collar shirt and a red mini skirt. She also wore black buckled shoes and knee high socks. "I can't believe you got into a fight out here." She said glaring at Anaso.

He scowled before letting a sigh escape his lip. "Embarrassing as it is the little devil is to quick for me. I'm going to need spells if I'm going to hit him." Anaso said as he turned back towards CJ and raised his hands prepared to fight.

Haley seemed to vaguely recognize the girl, but Derrick had remembered her all to clearly. "It's Reggie-senpai!" He yelled pointing at her. He had made it a note to memorize all of the cute girls in school. And Reggie was in his top ten.

"Kiroamos!"

CJ didn't see anything happen, but suddenly felt a heavy pressure on his chest. He coughed up a handful of blood as the breath was knocked out of him. He was about to fall flat on his back until Vincent yelled out. "Stand up! Remember what we agreed to in the hospital!" Vincent yelled. CJ's eyes snapped open and he stood directly back on his feet, albeit a little wobbly. He remembered clearly. They had promised to never lose again, he no matter who it was they had no plans on breaking that promise.

Vincent didn't however notice a small bear paw shaped print on his chest. He'd be sure that attack wouldn't strike him again. "To fast? He wasn't even able to dodge one of your most simple attacks. How were you having even the slightest amount of trouble with this weakling. When we get home we're going to increase your training ten fold." Reggie said as Anaso cringed in annoyance.

He did his best to ignore the comment and charged forward full steam ahead. He knew CJ was dazed, so now was the key time to go in and finish him off. "Fogar!" CJ's flame amour made a return and he made a circle of flames appear around him. He then looked down and realized there was glass around his feet. He did remember something like this at the sandbox, but he thought it was ghost or something. "Use the glass you idiot!"

He took his partner advice and shot the ground with his finger. More glass! He smiled as he aimed at Anaso who jumped back dodging it easily. CJ then flung another ball of fire underneath his feet where he landed and caused him to slip. Anaso was getting tired of this cat and mouse game. He was only using small tricks to throw him off. But then again that was all he could really do. "Finger gun!"

CJ held his finger up as if they were guns and then shot small ball of fired much quicker then he had before. Anaso blocked them thinking they were weaker, but found himself receiving burns on his arms. He held his hand up to fire once more. "Kironu!" A spiraling shot of silver energy came and blew threw every fireball and scraped CJ's side as he jumped to the left.

Unfortunately he hadn't realized he was jumping straight towards the water, and wave was coming in. It splashed him and pulled him into the water causing Vincent to panic and head towards the water. He looked around but couldn't find CJ. That idiot was panicking! He'd sink like a rock at this rate. Out of the corner of his eye he noticed something near the shore. It was a fin… a shark fin! "Shit!" Vincent yelled about to dive in.

Derrick and Aaron grabbed his arms before he could dive in. "Let me the hell go! Are you assholes blind! There's a shark right over there and he can't swim! If he bumps into that thing he'll die! Let me go!" Vincent yelled trying to pry loose from his brother and the jock.

"Calm down! Just use your lightening spell-"

"And what! He's underwater! If he doesn't knock himself out with his own lightening then he'll end up drowning anyway! Let me go!" He yelled. He saw Anaso and Rachel going down after him, but what good what that do. That idiot couldn't find him unless he could smell him, which he'd never pull of under water. And Rachel… well she might be able to handle the shark, but he was still going to drown.

CJ who was sinking fast did his best to hold his breath. But his lungs already felt like they were going to explode. "_Damn it, I wish I had let Nee-sama teach me how to swim. I don't want to die like this. I can't die like this! I'm going to become king! I need to get out of here right now!_" He thought as he struggled to get up to the surface. He could only see the sun, but at least he knew which way was up. Suddenly he saw a shadow above him… was that a dolphin. Maybe it could help him.

He had a take back though when he realized it was a shark. He began to panic once more and sunk even further, and even more so when the shark began heading into his direction. Was it going to eat him. Well he wasn't some bite sized snack! If he was going to be eaten was going to give him one hell of a stomachache!

On the shore Vincent was still struggling to break loose of their grip. Rachel had come up empty handed and Angie went down now growing worried. She brought her sword with her, so the others expected shark sushi to float up to the surface any minute now. Vincent suddenly looked down in his hands realizing the book was glowing. He didn't hesitate to yell it out. "Fokuro!"

Back under the water CJ was astounded. He could breath for some reason. And his amour, it changed into a powder blue color. He then looked back up at the shark that was speeding towards him. He punched forward and the water around his fist turned into ice and headed straight for the shark. It hit it right in the nose and CJ smiled. He moved through the water easily now and swam past it towards the surface. The shark was persistent and swam after him. But suddenly a figure rushed back him and knocked it back.

It was his sister! She pulled her sword out and swung causing a slash to rush through the water and knock the shark of course. He then followed up thrusting his hands forward and shooting it with ice spikes. "Awesome!" He shouted as the shark began swimming away. Angie looked a little surprised at this but signaled him to go to the surface. Suddenly Anaso came behind them a little late to the action. "Hold on a sec." CJ said smirking.

He turned around and formed a fist of ice around his hand and then punched Anaso in the stomach as hard as he could. Anaso lost his breath and began struggling to get to the surface, but he passed out and began floating lifelessly to the surface. "Okay, now we can go." He said giving her a thumbs up only a get back a slap to the back of the head.

* * *

Bou walked through the street and as usual was gaining stares form everyone. He hadn't been out in a while. Not since he attack Vincent actually. He spent most of his free time in caves training himself. He then heard a faint sound coming from the sidewalk. He stopped and looked over to see a kitten which was sitting box that said 'Homeless'. He looked around and then hesitantly made his way over.

He petted the kitten and then lifted it in his rather large hands making sure to be gentle. Reaching into his pocket he pulled out a piece of bread. It wasn't exactly cat food but it was all he had on him at the moment. "Sorry. Please be happy with this." He said as he held it up to the feline who gladly took it. He smiled and then petted it softly. Though he wasn't one to show it, he was a cat person.

He put it back down and thought over taking it home. Keri might be angry at him if he brought a stray home. But then again he wasn't sure if it would still be here in the morning. What if it got out and got ran over by a care. He sighed. It was getting late and this was starting to get on his nerves. "Big sensitive guy aren't you?" Neon said approaching from behind.

Bou immediately turned around and was ready to fight. It wasn't like he had a reason to, but for whatever reason he didn't trust Neon. He guessed it was because he just didn't like his personality. But still, he'd rather trust his gut. "Angie and Beat aren't here. They went to the beach today, and their probably home by now." He said frankly.

"And would you happen to know where their home is?"

"Why?"

"Just to swing by and say hello."

"I don't believe you."

Neon sighed and tried to think of why this guy didn't like him. But he brushed that aside and got back to the conversation. "You and Beat have been solid since elementary right? I think they called you two the Sound Bombers in school?" Neon said as Bou turned back around to tend to the kitten. "Beat's pretty strong. Angie too. Can't help but wonder how I'd do in a fight with them." Bou turned around and nearly close lined Neon who barely leaned back in time to dodge it. "W-what the hell man!"

"If you plan to fight them you have to go through me first." Bou said glaring at him. Neon backed up slightly and was ready to fight at any moment. This guy seemed… unstable. He knew that the Bulls family was famous for their rampages and village brawls. But this guy was different. With other members it was guessing if you could over power them or not. But this guy, it wasn't a guess, you weren't going to beat him in a show of strength.

"I'll lat off Nana's trio. I was just making a statement man. Relax." Neon said looking down at the cat. He bent down next to the kitten and held it hand out only to be bitten on the hand. He pulled it back and thought about kicking the box, but then saw the look Bou had on his face and quickly changed the thought. "How about a spar?"

Bou raised an eyebrow at him. "Not a serious fight. I mean our book owners aren't even here right now so it's not like we can burn each others books. But I've been training to get stronger, and I want to test out my new skills." Neon suggested. Bou looked on and thought deeply on it. He would like to see how much he improved as well. And Neon was right. There wasn't any harm in it. He shook his head yes and then Neon smirked. "Okay then lets do this." He said as his hilt turned into a large broadsword. He also had on a blood red jacket now.

The gentle giant pushed the kittens box safely under a nearby bench and then got ready to fight. He charged first and Neon swung not surprised that he didn't even try to dodge. The sword hit him, but it didn't cut so much as scratch him. He had a light scratch on his chest, and still managed to grab forward to catch Neon. He jumped back managing to dodge. "If you just charge like that you'll only take damage." Neon advised.

He didn't seem to listen, since he kept on charging anyway. Neon swung again but this time Bou ducked. Was he trying to dodge now? What was with this guy. But suddenly he lunged forward and grabbed Neon's ankles flipping him over on his back. He jumped up coming down on Neon with a pile driver. Neon rolled over and watched as the giant caused a huge crater in the asphalt.

"Wrestling? Isn't that a bit outdated? And fake?" Neon asked as he quickly got back up to his feet. Bou rushed again and suddenly rolled to the side managing to grab Neon's arm and then put him in a half nelson.

"Tap out." Bou said threatening to break his arm.

"Ow man! What happened to the friendly spar?" Neon asked as he crawled over and grabbed onto the bench as if it were a rope. Bou waited about four seconds before letting go and giving Neon a chance to roll away. If he hadn't seen that episode of wrestling with Anaso that one time he'd be screwed. When a person had the rope in their hands the other person could only hold a submission lock for five seconds.

Neon knew he had to be more careful without spells this guy was extremely dangerous. "I have to be a little more evasive with this guy. Damn near broke my arm." He muttered as he lifted his sword and prepared to attack once more. This time it turned into a Halberd, and he now wore a blue shirt and white coat. "You change outfits awfully fast." Bou commented as he lifted his fist ready to swing again.

Neon ignored the comment and dodged the next few blows. Bou was swinging widely, but he could feel the power from the swing even though he was dodging them. He suddenly felt something on his foot and looked down to see Bou stepping on the tip of his shoes. Neon grew wide eyed as he saw the Goliath swing at him, but he quickly ducked. He then took the chance and swung his Halberd full force. It hit him right on the arm, but barely even broke the skin.

Neon jumped back before Bou could get another attack off. The larder boy on the other hand wiped his finger across his arm. There was a little blood on it, not much, but still it was noticeable. "I haven't seen my own blood in a while." He mumbled as he stared back towards Neon.

"You don't talk, and when you do you spout out some weird crap. Not playing with a full deck are you there buddy?" Neon asked spinning his Halberd in his fingers. Bou turned his back to him and began walking away. Thought he did make sure to pick up the kitten on the way. "Where you going?" Neon asked surprised.

"This spar is over. I can't hit you and you can't hurt me. Not seriously anyway. It wouldn't end until I caught you, and that would take hours." Bou said as the kitten crawled up onto his head. Plus it was getting late, and Keri would complain if he didn't get home soon. Though he did admit, he didn't dislike Neon as much now.

Neon looked at him for a few seconds and then sighed. What could he really say? The guys was right. This would keep going until he got caught, and he never intended to do that. If that guy got his hands on him while he had no spells, he was done for. "See you later then I guess. But if I were you I'd work on keeping that monstrous aura of yours in check. An enemy mamodo could sense that from a mile away. It's how I found you." Neon admitted.

Bou rubbed the back of his neck. "Never learned how. Just beat down anyone who found me." He confessed as he put his hands in his pockets and walked off. "Most peoples used to feel it and just stay away from me."

"I can see why." Neon said as his Halberd and jacket disappeared back into their original forms. "You should probably ask Beat or Angie how if you don't know."

"Maybe." He said as he disappeared.

Neon looked on for a few more seconds. That guy was strong even without spells, he wondered what it would be like fighting him for real. Probably one of the hardest fights of his life. "Be damned if I piss him off." Neon said walking off.

* * *

"So let me get this straight. Your asking us to look after Vincent at school? Vincent, the guy who could punch a hole through us if we looked at him wrong?" Derrick asked as he looked up towards Rachel. She shook her head and went back to cooking dinner. She had invited them over, but they were a little uncomfortable to say the least. "Hell n-"

"Of course we'll do it." Haley said covering Derrick's mouth. She was a little nervous around his sister as well, but she could tell she had Vincent's best interest at heart. Or at least she thought so. "I'll make sure he doesn't get into any trouble. Teal goes to our school too, so she should be able to keep him in check." Haley assured.

Aaron who was still practicing his karate form looked over and smiled. "Vincent finally had friends to look out for him. He was really lonely when we were little. He was always getting into trouble just to get our attention." Aaron said shaking his head.

"So were you knuckle head." Rachel said glaring at him.

"Yes, but that was before I knew what it was like to be a man!"

"You act like a jackass." Rachel said coldly causing Aaron to become depressed. He began mumbling how nothing was good enough for her and how he had grown up, rather childishly at that. "Also make sure he doesn't get into any fights. Rikky apparently goes to the school as well, and the last thing I want is for those two to start brawling. Please be sure not to screw this up Storm." Rachel said rather rudely.

Haley wanted to call her a certain word right about then, but wisely kept her mouth shut knowing she couldn't win if it came down to a fight. She wondered why Rachel didn't seem to take to kindly to her. And how she knew her last name? "Hey, hot did you-"

"Not important. Make sure he doesn't get too close to any girls. Excluding you and the homely tomboy. Derrick I'm sure will be fine, but we'll see if you can manage that." She said again with a bitter tone.

Haley stepped forward smiling, but obviously irritated. Derrick moved forward and grabbed her arm holding her back. "W-we'll be sure to do our best Rachel-senpai!" He said doing his best to hold the red head back.

"Sure, we'll do our job greatly, Rachel-kun."

Rachel almost blew a vein then. She obviously knew about honorifics and was insulting her. Kun was used mostly towards guys. The only time when a girl had Kun at the end of her name was when she was a tomboy, like Teal, or had a man like appearance. Rachel walked towards Haley but was held back by Aaron.

Derrick then lifted Haley and bolted for the door. "Well, this was just awesome but I don't think we're going to stay for dinner!" Derrick said as he pulled Haley out and scooted Alice and Kai out of the door. Kai looked as if he was about to say something smart, but Derrick kicked him in the back and knocked him out. "Goodbye!" He yelled as he slammed the door behind them.

"So your even screwing with those knuckle heads. How much do I have to tell you to stay out of my damn life." Vincent said from the top of the stairs.

"I'm doing this for your own good. Mom and Dad aren't here, and I'm the oldest so I-"

"How the hell do our lame ass parents leaving us make you in charge. I doubt that when they totally forgot about us they were thinking about who was going to wear the pants in the family." He said making his way down.

Rachel seemed even more irked by that comment and yanked him by the front of his shirt staring directly into his eyes. "They didn't leave us. They love us, and if you ever badmouth them again I'll make sure you regret it. Protecting you or not, there are some things I won't let slide." She said furiously.

Vincent chuckled for a few moments. "Grandma is our one and only parent. They ditched us and you need to get over that. Don't expect me to recognize them as my guardians when I don't even have an idea what their god damned faces look like." he said as he yanked her hand off. He walked towards the kitchen and then heard his sister charge at him only to be stopped by Aaron.

When he turned around he saw a familiar look in her eyes. Anger. She looked like she wanted to run him through right now. "If you knew what kind of hell they had to go through just to have your sorry ass you'd think twice about talking down on mom or dad!" She shouted as Aaron bit his lip. He wanted to say something, but he couldn't blame Vincent for having this point of view.

"I don't have a mom or dad. It's only a grandma and three troublesome siblings." Vincent said as he waved his hand back and kept heading towards the kitchen. Rachel took a deep breath and then signaled Aaron to let him go. Once he knew she was calm he let go, only to be kick in the stomach as she ran forward and proceeded to attack Vincent who did his best to fend her off. "Why'd you let her go you dumbass!" Vincent yelled. Aaron thought about cutting in, but then saw the furious look on his sisters face and decided to leave that alone. Vincent would find out soon enough about their parents.

The mother of the three Heart siblings sat on the roof and took a large gulp from a bottle of whiskey. She smiled and then wiped her mouth happily. "Looks like I need to make my appearance. And what about you dear? Don't you think you should pay junior a visit soon as well?" She asked turning to another figure beside her.

This one was a man. His face was mostly hidden in the shadows and he wore a cloak over the rest of his body. "Yeah. I think it's about time I pay my boys a visit. And of course I have to swing by and see my baby girl." He said reaching for the bottle in her hand. She slapped his hand away and he rubbed it and scowled at her. "Dunk…" He mumbled.

"What was that dear?"

"Nothing."

"Anyhow she's hardly a little girl anymore. You can't baby her forever."

"Says who?"

"Me?"

"Ha! No matter how old she gets she'll always be daddy's little-" he suddenly received a punch to the ribs silencing him. "Okay I'll stop babying her." He said trying to breath the air that she knocked out of his stomach back.

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**A/N: Yo Kohai!(And Prince Gray) nice to see you guys again. I hope everyone enjoys htis chap. I was up at one in the morning finishing it up. Since i'm on break i pretty much spend it however way i want! Booya BE-ya-ches! Anyway i had never given CJ a water or ice spell before, and i thought that was pretty stupid since he had fire and earth. I don't know about air though(He's not the freaking Avatar after all.) Also, i was dying to give Bou a fight. But i havent' revealed any spells yet, cause i want his first REAL fight to be a surprise. and Neon hadn't seen any action in a while, so i figured he'd make a good sparing partner. Hope you liked it! **


	14. The S Rank Criminal!

**A/N: YO Peoples. Long time no see. I've been working on some other stories lately but I cut some time out to update this one. It's been a while, and i wanted to make sure some OC's got the spotlight for a change. So CJ Won't be seeing any fighting in this one. Also props to my man Prince Gray for his latest chapter. Got some wicked drawing too. (Need to get me one of those.) Sufrir too! **

* * *

CJ slide against the ground and groaned loudly. Training with Rachel was much harder then training with Vincent. She didn't hold back, she gave him everything she had, and even though he was much quicker, she was more skilled and had monstrous power by human standards. He got up and suddenly felt a kick right to his chest. He tumbling back and then lifted his hands signaling a time out. "This isn't tag. You want me to spar with you, you get the full deal." She said coldly.

He rubbed his chest and then jumped back up to his feet. "But you said it was just sparring! Your trying to kill me!" He said backing up slightly. He then kicked dirt up into the air and headed straight for her. He jumped up and tried to swing his fist at her, but suddenly felt another blow to his chest and bounced back smashing into the house. He groaned in pain once more and then felt a foot on his throat.

When he looked up he saw Rachel with a cold look in her eyes. It was as cold as his sisters when she got serious. "What was the point of using the dirt as a diversion when you charged straight at me anyway. Not to mention you wait to long to jump at me. I could hear your foot steps coming at me from a mile away, and you couldn't change direction in mid air." She said putting a little more pressure on him.

He patted his hand on her knee. "Tap! Tap! I'm tapping out!" He said as she released him. He rubbed his throat and breathed heavily before looking up at her. He had thought Vincent was a the worst one in his family, but she was truly a monster. On the other hand she wasn't unlike his own sister. Précised, elite, and cold. "Your like Angie if she was human… and black."

"Was the black thing really necessary? People don't like be pointed out for their race like that. Could get you beat up on the streets. Although this is Japan so your probably wouldn't run into a lot of that." She said patting him on the head. He looked in disbelief. Two seconds ago this woman had her foot to his throat. And now she had a more… warm aura about her.

She walked over and wiped her head off with a towel then tossed one to CJ. "All in all your technique isn't that bad. You just need a little work. Try to be a little more aggressive as well. Muay Thai is a headfirst fighting style. It's not bad to scope the enemy out, but it's better to take them down before they even get a chance to do anything." She advised. He nodded and watched her as she headed inside the house.

"She beat the crap out of you didn't she?" Vincent asked jumping over the fence. CJ glared at him and the old boy chuckled. He knew his sister wouldn't hold back on him. She never held back on him or Aaron for that matter. She definitely wouldn't have cut CJ any slack. "Don't worry about it. After a few years the pain just seemed to numb." He said yawning.

"How come your Rachel is mean when she's fighting against someone but nice when she's being normal?" he asked curiously. He didn't get girls in the slightest, but he hoped Vincent may have some clue. After all he was older, and he was always told by his brother and sister that he would understand stuff when he's older. It made sense.

"Nice? Wait what! She was nice to you!" Vincent said angrily.

"Yeah. Well I mean she was pretty mean when sparring but she was nice after that. Even gave me a towel afterwards." He said as Vincent slammed his fist on the nearby wall. CJ looked even more confused as he began grunting stuff under his breath. She had never been nice to him a day of her life, but CJ got treated like he was… an actual kid! This sucked. "Are you mad at me?" He asked.

"No. But I do want to kill Rachel." He said tightening his fist.

He felt a presence behind him and turned around to see a woman in the spitting image of his own sister. He looked slightly surprised and looked over her. She looked just like her but she wasn't. She wasn't dressed like Rachel. She wore a black tank top a pair of black pants and a Muay Thai headband. "So who are you exactly? No wait. Let me guess, you'd be the one known as my mother."

"Perceptive. I thought it was time I paid my baby boys a visit. How have you been over the past couple of years."

"I've been struggling, and while I'd like to say it was because you and that poor old excuse for an old man left me, I could honestly care less. If you were expecting the teary eyed cliché reunion your going to be sorely disappointed. Weather I had even lived long enough to see you didn't make a difference to me, and it still doesn't now." He said honestly.

She chuckled and then took a seat on the bench in their back yard. "Seems like both you and Rachel took after me. That's a bit of a relief considering your father is the one who turned Aaron into a goofball." She said as Vincent shuttered. That statement made him consider Aaron as his father, and he didn't like it. "Truth be told I'm not into the old cliché meetings ether. I thought you might be a little angry though."

He sat down near a tree across from her and crossed his arms. CJ seemed like he was about to say something, but one look from Vincent silenced him. "It's not like we're best friends, but I never knew you. Being angry at nothing is pointless, you were never a factor until now. What I'm interested in is what type of piece you are."

She chuckled again, this time a little louder. "You have the habit to huh? Well I can't tell you what type of piece I am. I only see things on my board. To me, you seem like a knight. Moving in a strange way, and a fairly useful piece that I'd rather not sacrifice if I don't have to. Since I'm here this is my board."

"Your board? Impossible."

"Why is that?"

"It's been my board since I crawled out of that womb of yours." He stated with a wide and evil smile on his face.

"Really? That's interesting. I may have to bump you up to a Rook."

The two stood and glared at each other for a few seconds before Vincent got up. "Putting that little spat aside for now I have just one question."

"What would that be? Do you want to know where your dear mother had been?"

"No. I could care less about that. I want to know why the old woman wouldn't even say two words about you. She wouldn't even tell me your name. What's the deal with that?"

She smiled and looked towards the house. "I didn't leave this house on the best terms with that woman. I've been watching you and it seems you've taken after me the most, right down to the resent I have for that old bat." She said brushing her hair aside. She got up and then walked towards him. "I'll be watching from a distance. I'll talk to you every now and then. Of course your father will be a bit more forward. See you."

When Vincent looked back up she was gone. He then looked over at CJ and sighed. "I wasn't imagining that was I? My mother just showed up in front of me. I'm pretty sure I wasn't, but I want to make sure." He said running his hand through his hair. The younger boy nodded and then jumped up to his feet.

"Is that what moms are supposed to be like?"

"How would I know? I just met her remember?"

CJ scowled and then headed back for the house. "Tell me when you see her again. I want to know what mothers are supposed to be like. She seems really weird. But the again she's not that different from you or your sister." He said as he pulled the slide door open and walked inside. "Have fun spending time with your mama." CJ said chuckling as he kicked the door closed behind him.

Vincent looked on for a few seconds and scowled. His mother would be a problem, he had a gut feelings that said that. He also had the feeling that she was planning, all already was, manipulating him. And he hated being manipulated. "Did she make you angry? Or are you more puzzled?" Aaron asked smirking as he stood over Vincent. He jumped down and took a seat beside his brother.

Out of his two siblings Aaron was the one Vincent could tolerate. He had a feeling that Aaron would go off on his own one day, so when he left the house he wasn't as saddened as he had expected he would be. And Aaron had always treated him with some reason of respect in the past. "I don't know if I'm in control or being controlled. It's frustrating." He said gritting his teeth. "I honestly always hoped mom and dad would be bumbling idiots like you. They'd be easier to control."

"Ouch." Aaron said clearly hurt by the comment. He let it slide and then looked back towards his brothers. "You know they didn't leave by choice right? I don't know if your made at them or-"

"Could care less." He said honestly.

"Oh…" Aaron had expected him to be angry or want to talk about some deep issue. "Well if you ever want to-"

"I'm never going to want to talk to you about personal feelings. We hold a mutual brotherly relationship. Nothing more nothing less." He said plainly.

"I can live with that." Aaron responded.

Rachel made her way down the street completely oblivious to the fact she was being followed by CJ. He stayed low and kept a far distance away so she wouldn't spot him sneaking behind her. If she was anything like her little brother she had the eyes of a hawk and she'd spot him from a mile away… well, not literally a mile, but he got the gist of it. She turned her head back and he quickly moved aside behind a soda machine.

She looked for a few more seconds and then turned around. "_He's quiet and crafty but I can still catch him. He would have been better off keeping to the rooftops._" She thought to herself as she kept going. She didn't care if he followed her, not today at least. She wasn't meeting the others and it wasn't like she was doing anything important, so there were no worries.

She was however worried about the one following him. Whoever it was had a killing intent that leaked out. He wasn't even bothering in trying to hide it. She turned around and then frowned. He was getting to close for her taste. "CJ, I know your there. I'm not made at you, but don't worry about that now. Pay attention to that bloodlust flooding from around the corner!" She said glaring.

CJ came out and looked at her surprised. He hadn't noticed that evil intent at all. He was about to ask where it was coming from but then saw a shadow in front of him. He turned his head and saw a tall figure above him. How didn't he notice him! He could clearly see him, but aside from the killing intent he had, it felt like he wasn't even there. "Move." The figure said coldly before kicking him forward.

This wasn't the rough kick that his Vincent would use to knock him out of the way. This kick was bone breaking, and if he hadn't lifted his arms in time he knew he would have had a few cracked ribs. Rachel moved forward catching him in her arms and then glared at the boy. He had black spiky hair, clear eyes, and pale skin. He wore a white cloak, with a blue tank top and black pants underneath. He also sported brown army boots and a headband with a music symbol on the front of it.

He carried a large sword that had two blades on the hilt, both facing the same way. "He's got a giant electric plug!" CJ yelled pointing at him in disbelief.

"Idiot." The boy said lifting his sword. He looked right towards Rachel and then glared coldly at her. "Where is Angie?" He asked.

"How the hell would I know." Rachel spat back.

"You're her book owner are you not? I have no intention of harming you, but I can sense her somewhere in this town. And I will torture you if necessary." He said as he walked towards her.

CJ jumped forward and kicked the boy in the face before hitting the ground and jumping back ready to fight. "Hah! Nee-sama wouldn't dirty her hands with the likes of you. I'll take care of your for her." He said smiling.

The boy looked at him for a second and then scowled. "I knew you looked familiar. You're the rat."

"Guinea Pig!" CJ yelled angrily.

He smirked to himself and then tossed his cloak off. "If I take you then she'll come without a doubt. New plan, the kids comes with me. I don't have any quarrel with you anymore girl." He said as he moved forward putting her sword away. Rachel stepped forward ready to back CJ up if need be.

"Idiot! Putting away your sword against someone like me is the dumbest thing you could ever do!" CJ yelled running forward. He punched but the boy easily stopped his fist and then head butted him knocking him straight down to the ground. Before CJ could even get up the boy stepped on him and held him in place.

Rachel jumped forward but the boy suddenly disappeared from view. "I'm over here." He said quickly hitting her with a roundhouse kick. She slammed into the fence and went right through it. Just like that she was down. CJ looked shocked, but that still didn't mean he was going to lay down and give up. He got back up and charged once more only to be drop kicked as soon as he was in the boys reach.

He picked CJ up and then looked over him. "What the hell are you looking at!" CJ said as he spit at the boy. It didn't go far enough to hit him, but the boy didn't look happy at the insult. He tossed CJ up in the air and then thrust his sword at him. The younger boy closed his eyes expecting to be stabbed through, but it never came. When he opened them he saw that his sword was stuck through the top of his shirt.

The older boy turned around and began walking off. "If I kill you Angie will come charging at me blindly with anger. I want her at her best, and she's only at her best when she's cool and calculated. I won't kill you as long as your worth something." He said as CJ attempted to move. That blow had taken nearly everything out of him. He couldn't move a muscle.

He looked over towards Rachel who was out cold. Things weren't looking good for him at this point. He had to do something. "Kirono!" "Kazedron!" A spiraling silver energy and a blast of wind flew towards the boy. He lifted his sword using the blade that CJ wasn't stuck on and then deflected the blast of silver energy. He punched forward bursting the blast of air into nothing.

"Tch. Should have known the first spell would be to soft." Kai said annoyed.

"It couldn't helped. Anything stronger and CJ might have been in danger." Alice said worriedly.

"Yeah Kai. We have to make sure Alice's boyfriend is alright." Derrick teased.

"Stop teasing her. This is a series situation Derrick." Haley said glaring towards the tall boy.

Alice looked at him closely and then frowned. "That's Waver!" She said surprised.

Kai scowled. "Crap. As if having Angie and Slash in the same town wasn't enough we get the S class criminal too." Kai said balling his fist up. "Haley, this one is incredibly dangerous. Stay close and be careful." He said stepping in front of his partner.

"By order of the Silvers clan your under arrest!" Alice said stepping forward. She prepared to charge at him but Kai looked towards her. She gritted her teeth in anger. They would have to take him together to stand a chance. She knew alone she wouldn't be able to stop him.

"We aren't in our world little girl. Even your clans jurisdiction doesn't reach the human world. Not that I would listen to you ether way. Your brother might have presented a challenge, but your much to inexperienced to even slow me down. Let alone stop me." Waver said turning around to leave.

"He's right! He took down Rachel in one blow! Just go get help!" CJ yelled.

Kai sighed and ran his hands through his hair. "Seriously. Do you think we'd just attack like this on a whim. You can't actually believe that-" Kai vanished and suddenly Waver a foot in front of his face. He ducked and dodged in as Kai distanced himself. "-we having been doing any training ether." He said smirking.

"Giganto Kirouru!"

Waver turned around and saw a massive ball of silver energy with rings around it hovering above Alice's hand. CJ looked amazed. This was way larger then the last time he had seen that spell. "We've been training ever since your brother and sister managed to defeat us. We couldn't hope to win at that level of power. So we've been amping ourselves up just like you!" Alice said as the ball grew larger.

Waver didn't move an inch. He hardly even reacted. "So the cub is bearing it's claws. It's not like it isn't an impressive advancement, but you still don't have a chance against me." He said planting his sword in the ground and making sure CJ was going nowhere. Alice threw the ball of energy as Waver simply stood there. He lifted his hand and grabbed the ball with his hand. The rings around it suddenly expanded, and then retracted pulling Waver in closer to it.

"Kai! Move!" Alice yelled as the ball of energy began to grow brighter. Kai moved as CJ covered his face preparing for the explosion. It went off and Derrick and Haley stood back as Alice held the explosion back as far as she could. It wasn't large enough to take out the city or anything, but she didn't want too much property damage. Or to attract a crowd. The explosion died down and Alice let out a sigh.

"What the heck was that! I could have ended up fried back there!" CJ yelled.

"Relax. I did my research back home. Waver's sword is made from Material that came out of Faudo's stomach. Being that close to it would protect you for sure." Alice said panting. Suddenly Waver jumped out of the smoke and landed in front of Alice who wore a shocked look on her face. "H-how did you-"

"My headband and gloves are made out of the same materials. Though it couldn't protect me completely, which tells me you advanced much further then I thought. If I had the time I might have waited for you to mature, but unfortunately I don't." He said lifting his foot. CJ tried to pull loose knowing the power of his drop kick, but couldn't.

"Kazerudo!"

A shield of air surrounded Alice and caused him to slide back on one foot. He quickly turned around and saw Kai who was throwing a punch directly towards his face. He leaned his head to the side but Kai quickly through his fist to the left knocking him back a few feet. "I'm the only one who gets to pick on the brats." Kai said grabbing the front his shirt. He then kicked his foot up and hit Waver in the chin knocking him back. "Lights out."

Kai walked past him and started to head for CJ. "He was tough, but looks like we got the jump on him. No matter how strong you are the unexpected can always catch you off guard. And nice catchphrase Kai." Derrick commented as he walked over towards Waver.

"Yeah whatever. Lets just get the kid loose so we can go home already." Kai complained.

Suddenly Derrick went flying back and hit the ground rolling near Haley. "Not bad. But I think it's time to end this little game of ours. Your boring me." He said lifting his hand. Suddenly another figure stepped out from around the corner. "Elva."

It was a small girl with black hair tied in to a pony tail and green eyes. She wore a pink and white striped sweater and a pink skirt. "About time Waver-kun. I was getting boring just sitting back and watching you know." The girl said taking out a book. Derrick and Haley looked surprised and both lifted their books to counter, but it was too late. "Bijururu!"

A circle appeared around the unknowing Alice who didn't know what was going on. She heard the spell read, but she couldn't hear anything else after that. "Alice! Get out of that thing!" Derrick yelled. Alice couldn't hear a word. It was clear that nothing they yelled or scream was getting through to her. Kai quickly ran towards the circle, but suddenly a sonic boom went of and blew him back. "ALICE!"

"Bijura!" Kai jumped to the side dodging the sound wave that shot out of Waver's hand.

"Bijururu!" Kai looked down and realized that Waver had caught him while he was in mid air. As soon as he hit the ground in the circle bolted and the explosion went of only catching his leg. He flew forward and rolled only to realize he was in another circle. It went off and caught him as he fell to the ground defeated.

Haley and Derrick ran towards their partners as Kai tried to figure out how he caught them with the second circle. It then snapped to him. They read another spell while he was in the first circle, when he couldn't here, knowing he would roll into the second. He looked up at them and saw that they were already heading back towards CJ. They were going to take him, and there wasn't a thing he could do about it. Kai grunted and then pushed up managing to stand on his feet.

"Put the brat down." Kai said struggling to stand.

Waver turned around and looked at him with a frown. "There's no point in laying your life down here boy. I'm not going to kill him. I only want his sister. So long as you stay out of my way I won't bother you. This battle for king doesn't interest me. I only care about fighting strong people, and Angie is on the top of the list. Tell her I have the boy and she'll meet me by midnight if, alone, if she wants him with all his limbs intact."

Kai raised his hand reaching out before falling forward. Haley quickly caught him as Derrick kneeled next to Alice checking over her. "I don't know who you are, but we're going to stop you!" Haley yelled.

"I'm sure." Waver said walking away. Haley thought about running after him for a second, but she knew it'd be a waste. He easily took down Alice and Kai. There was no way any human could stay on par with him.

Vincent slammed Kai against the wall by the front of his shirt as Aaron, Haley, and Derrick tried to pry him off. "You just let them take him away! Why didn't you follow him! Even if you couldn't defeat him you could have gone after him! I-"

"They did everything they could Vincent! Waver is not the type of guy who just anybody can go and defeat!" Beat yelled coming down the stairs. "He's a monster. Even when you think you have him he pulls something knew out of the bag. He's the definition of a monster." Beat said smashing the wall beside him.

"Your paying for that." Vincent's grandmother said setting the table.

"I don't think it would have mattered. He took me out in one blow, CJ wasn't going to be able to stop him." Rachel said honestly.

Vincent looked up and glared at his sister. "It's your fault too! He was following you! You were there and you let him get taken! You can spar with CJ and Beat but you couldn't save one little kid!" Vincent yelled getting up and heading towards her. Aaron held him back as he bit his lip. It wasn't her fault. It was his, and he knew it. "I shouldn't have let him go off on his own like that! I should have been with him! I could have helped him defend himself at least!"

Rachel got up and head towards the door. "There aren't a lot of things I feel sorry for, but this is one of them. I'll get him back Vincent. I promise." Rachel said placing a hand on his shoulder.

Beat smashed his fist into his hand. "After all that bastard has done, he goes and pulls this crap! I'm going to kill him!" Beat said getting up.

"You guys can't be series. Even Beat couldn't take him by himself! This guy is in a whole different league then us! We need to contact Angie now!" Alice said rubbing her chin.

"She's out of town meeting with Neon and your brother. Besides, I got personal business with my brother. He's gone to far." Beat said heading out of the door. They heard the words brothers, but no one really said anything. It wasn't their place to question him, especially not now.

Alice watched as Beat and Rachel walked out leaving them. "I'm sorry. We'd go help, but their in no condition to fight right now. I'm sorry Vincent, maybe if we'd have gone after him we could have-"

"There's someone else who can help." Vincent said getting up. He began walking towards the door as the other looked at him curiously. "Don't follow me." he said balling his fist up. He couldn't believe he was going to swallow his pride and ask these people.

"Rika-Nee, I'm hungry." Azure said as his stomach growled loudly.

"You two are always hungry. I have to wake up for school tomorrow you know." She said yawning. She suddenly heard a knock on the door and raised an eyebrow. "Who could that be this late at night?" She asked heading towards the door.

Adella came out of her room and head to the door along with Rika and her brother just in case. When they opened the door they were shocked to see Vincent standing before them. Azure stepped in front of them and Adella braced for a fight as Vincent scowled down at him. "What are you doing here!" Azure said spreading his arms out to protect them.

They looked around for CJ but didn't see him. Still, they knew Vincent so they kept their guards up. "I came here to ask you for help." Vincent muttered. Azure dropped his arms as they all grew a look of disbelief on their faces.

They were silent for a few moments but Adella spoke up. "How do we know your not lying to us and trying to trick us!"

"CJ got taken! And the guy is way to strong for me to take on my own! The only other person who could take him by herself is out of town! You have to help Beat!"

"Beat! The guy who attacked us! Rika-nee! This is definitely a trap!" Azure yelled.

"We can't trust this guy!" Adella added.

"Your tricky Vincent, but you must think we're stupid if you think we're going to believe such an outrageous lie-"

They heard a thump hit the ground and looked forward to see Vincent on his knees. He looked furious as he punched the ground with both fist and bowed his head. "I-I'm freaking begging you okay!" Vincent said biting his lip. His fist were so balled up he thought they were going to start bleeding. "_Only for CJ! Only for that stupid brat!_" He said pressing his forehead against the ground.

"A-are you serious?" Azure said confused.

"He's really begging."

"I'm not going to lie! I hate you guys! But I can't just leave it like this! Everything you said about me before hit the mark, but even still he backed me up and even looked up to me! He never once thought of abandoning, so I can't just do nothing!"

Adella looked at him and then shook her head. "I-I don't know if I can trust you! You threatened to kill Azure once and didn't seem like you had a hint of repentance in you! How do I know-"

"I'm on my knees begging you for help! CJ is my brother! I can't just leave him to die! I came to the people I hate the most just to ask for help! Your supposed to be about forgiveness right! Even if you don't forgive me forgive CJ!" He yelled grabbing the front of Rika's shirt. "I can't lose anyone else, please…"

She looked at him and then looked towards the ground. "We can't trust you after everything you've done." She said simply. She then stepped back and closed the door leaving Vincent outside. He stood there in shock and then yelled out as he slammed his fist on the ground.

"Fine! Who the hell needs you! I'll go and save him myself if I have to!" Vincent yelled getting up. He made his way down the stairs and began heading towards where CJ was being held. If he had to fight Waver himself he'd do so. But he wasn't just going to let him have CJ. As much as he tried to deny it the boy had brought happiness into his life. When he showed up everything fell into place.

On the other side of the wall unknown to Vincent were Chainz and Ishimaru. "Sounds like your self proclaimed number one rival is in trouble. Should we lend a hand?" Ishimaru asked.

"Like I care about that rat. But while we're out I feel like taking a midnight stroll in that direction." he said heading the same direction Vincent left to.

"Midnight stroll huh?"

"Shut up." Chainz said annoyed.

Rika looked out of the window and watched as Vincent left. "I-I think he was telling the truth. I couldn't tell clearly, but I think he was crying when he had his face down." Rika said sadly.

"I wanted to trust him, but.."

"We shouldn't! He's tried to kill us before. Even if he was telling the truth then…"

Rika sighed. "If I knew he was telling the truth I'd go in a heat beat. As evil as he is that boy seemed really kind. But I just don't know." She said running her hands through her hair. She then reached over and picked up the phone. "Rai, I need you to get over here right now. We need your help." She said as Azure and Adella looked at each other.

"Are you sure?" Azure asked.

"Even if he fought against us before it sounds like this isn't a regular battle. Someone's life is one the line, and I couldn't live with myself if I could have done something to stop it! We're going!" She said as she got up and headed for the door. "Meet us over at the junkyard Rai!"

"What in the world are you talking about? What's going on?" Rai asked over the phone.

"I'll tell you when we get there. Just come."

* * *

**A/N: Man! Wanted to make it longer but I was getting tired. Kai and Alice have had their scrap, and now Chainz and the twins,(Along with anothet character i'm keeping a secret) are going to get some action in! Hope you liked the chapta! This marks the end of the fillers and the beginning of the main event for the first arc. R&R! OR I"LL FIND YOU!**


	15. Assembly Required

Waver tapped his foot angrily and sat back with a sigh. He figured Angie would have shown up by now, or at the very least, the kid's book owner would have come and tried to get him back. "I am so tired of waiting! When are they going to get here." Waver's book owner whined as she kicked her legs back and forth. She was a rather young girl with brown hair and a pink bow. She wore a pink and white long sleeve shirt and a pink skirt.

"Un." "_The location I picked was perfect. An old demolition site. She'll never be able to find him without getting through me"_

As usual she was answered with a grunt. "Why are you always so dark and brooding? Why can't you be soft and cuddly like this little cutie?" She said as she nuzzled CJ who was tied up with chains. Waver new if he had used ropes he would simply gnaw his way through them until he was free. "He's so cute, and look at his ears! You can't tell me that he isn't just the most adorable little thing you've ever seen!" She said looking towards her partner.

"Un." _"If push came to shove I could simply kill him. She'd surely come after me."_

Another grunt. She puffed her cheeks and glared at her partner. "H-hey! Stop touching my ears! And I'm not cute! I'm one of Nana's trio! I'm strong!" He yelled thrashing around. She smiled and began scratching his head. In an instant the feisty CJ was now still and let out a low growl of approval. As much as he wanted to bust out and fight right now he was putty to anyone who scratched him behind the ears.

"He is so cute! Can we keep him?" She asked looking up at her partner. Waver scowled, a sign that he didn't care what she did. He looked over towards the door and began growing annoyed. They were supposed to be here boy now. "Someone is outside." Waver looked over towards Dawn who was staring at the door. Before he could even asked how she knew that a number of bullets flew through the door.

Waver quickly moved out of the way but Dawn was right in the path of fire. CJ reacted quickly and kicked off the ground springing them both out of harm's way. The door was smashed in and Vincent entered holding two Scorpions. He aimed the guns at Waver. "I'm about to turn you into a human bullet case!" He yelled as he pulled the trigger. Waver grabbed his sword and began spinning it. The bullets were either blocked or deflected.

"You came here by yourself? That was foolish of you. But I did hear you were a Muay Thai fighter, maybe I can get a few chuckles out of you." He said jumping towards Vincent. Needless to say he was more than surprised when Vincent not only dodged the swing of his sword, but landed a blow that might have been lethal to his neck. "Interesting, had I been a normal human I'd be dead." He said rubbing his neck.

Vincent smirked at him. "I'm fighting to kill." He said aiming at him once more. He fire and Waver jumped back and held his hand out.

"Bijura!"

A sound wave blasted out of his hand and not only struck Vincent, but destroyed have the room in the process. "Vincent!" CJ's yell left Vincent half awake now. He gritted his teeth as he fell back. They had been on the seven floor. He had no idea what he was thinking. He supposed it was Waver's cleverness rather than his foolishness. He picked an excellent location, the only plan Vincent could come up with was come in, shoot, grab CJ, then run.

His whole body felt numb and he couldn't hear. Now he knew what Alice felt like when she fought with Beat before. _"So this is how I'm going to die? As a blood stain on the walk? I guess it seems fitting for someone like me._" Vincent prepared to hit the ground but suddenly felt hit something. He was still in the air and he wasn't dead, so it couldn't have been the ground. "What the hell?"

"Sorry we came so late." Vincent looked up and saw Azure grabbing the back of his shirt. "Rai took a while to get here so we couldn't head straight in. It was pretty easy to find you though." He said smiling as he struggled to keep Vincent in the air.

Vincent looked stunned and didn't say anything. Azure made his way to the ground and stumbled forward. Vincent reached out and grabbed the back of his shirt to keep him from falling and the younger boy turned around and smiled. "I bet you didn't think you were going to see us." Adella said smiling as she walked up to them. Vincent looked up and saw Rika and Rai standing behind them.

"I was reluctant, but to see a guy like you bow you're head, I knew it couldn't have been a trap." Rika said sighing.

"You attacked me sister, so you're still suspect to me. But I owe her, so I came too." Rai said glaring at him.

Everyone looked up and saw Waver standing in what was left of the room. CJ and Dawn were in the corner and seemed safe for now, but the path to the room was destroyed. Waver aimed down at them as Dawn read another spell. "Bijura!" Another sounds wave flew towards them and the twins prepared to attack, but someone else jumped in the way. "Hokkado!" A giant gear shield appeared and blocked the sound wave. The shield broke but the attack was blocked.

"Chainz?" Vincent asked confused.

"Sup." Ishimaru greeted coming up from behind. "We've been trying to find you guys."

"T-that's the younger brother of the cobra clan!" Azure said shaking.

"What's he doing here." Adella said a bit worried.

Chainz ignored them and looked up at Waver. He had that smug look of arrogance around him, the one his brothers was always carrying around. He wanted to smash this guys face in. "He's going to come down soon. Ice boy, you're with me. Fireball, you and the Rat's partner go up and rescue him. Get your hands on his book if you can." Chainz instructed.

Vincent scowled and pulled out his guns. "Screw that. Azure you go get CJ, Adella and I are staying here. That sound spell is going to shatter that ice like glass. Just use that hover board thing of yours to go get him. Freeze the chains and signal me. I'll use a spell to break him out after that." Vincent ordered.

"We'll lead the attack then." Ishimaru said opening his book.

Vincent nodded. "Agreed. Adella, run in behind Chainz. You see an opening to attack you take it. I'll stay here and give cover fire, and for god's sake don't get in my line of fire." He said scowling. "I don't want to hear anyone wanting about a bullet up their ass."

"You shoot me and you'll have to worry about my foot up your ass." Chainz said cracking his knuckles.

Azure grabbed his board and Chainz grabbed his arm and threw him. He jumped on his board and used the momentum to head towards the room CJ was in. Waver looked up and grunt. He could tell what the little bastard was up to. "Not so fast runt!" He yelled swinging his sword towards him. He sent a slash out towards the male twin but Chainz reacted quickly.

"Kai Lei!" Chainz shot a laser from his mouth and countered the attack, but it knocked Azure off course. He landed and rolled on the fourth floor. "He'll just have to climb the rest on his own." Ishimaru said turning back towards Waver.

Chainz ran in lifted his fist prepared to slug it out. Waver swung his sword but Chainz duck and then hit him in the chin. Waver didn't seem affected and grabbed his wrist before he could pull it back. Waver held his hand in front of him. Before he could fire off a spell he felt a bullet bounce off his head. He looked up and saw Vincent still aiming at him. "Antrai Ignarias!"

Waver looked up and saw Adella heading down towards him with a flaming duel sword. She swung down and slashed him leaving a burn on his chest. "Not bad." He said before punching her in the stomach. She went flying back but Rika jumped forward and caught her. Chainz kept focused and jumped up throwing a kick at the boy. He blocked with his arm but Ishimaru took the chance to attack. "Kai lei!" He shot another laser at Waver who didn't even bother to dodge it. He simply blocked it with his hands.

"My gloves are made of a material that rejects spell power. Carved them out of Faudo myself you know. Cool ain't it?" He said punching Chainz in the face. The cobra clan boy slid back but quickly rushed back towards him. He wasn't about to give up. "You think I'm just going to fold just because you got some special gloves! Bring it on!" Chainz yelled as he jumped up and lifted his hands in the air. "Hokeigo!" A spiked ball and chain appeared in Chainz hands and he quickly swung it downward towards Waver.

"You should give up because if you don't I'm going to completely thrash you!" Waver said smiling. "But if you're anything like you're brother then that won't stop you!" Chainz new this guy was only in it for the fight, and he guessed since the rat's big sister wasn't here they would be the substitutes. "Don't disappoint me snake brat!" He swung his sword and nearly took Chainz arm.

"_This guy is dangerous. He's not going to take notice to any injuries, so an opening is unlikely. The fire girl can give a decent hit, but she can't take one. And Vincent can only give so much cover fire." _Chainz tried to figure out what to do.

"Chainz, move!"

Chainz sucked to the ground as a RPG rocket flew over his head and slammed into Waver. It pushed him back a bit and then blew up. "Little more warning next time!" Chainz yelled.

Vincent smiled. "Boom baby!"

"Where did you get that thing?" Ishimaru asked.

"Hid it behind my back. I have a Commando with a grenade launcher in my left pants leg, a PSR-1 in my right, two Scorpions in my pockets, and a belt full of grenades… somewhere."

"Ew!" Rika said backing away from him.

"Don't you think that was a little over kill?" Rai asked.

"I like the boom." Vincent said smirking.

"Clearly." Ishimaru said looking closely. "But I don't think we're done here."

As the smoke cleared Waver began emerge. He was smiling wider than ever. "Nice job younglings. I'm having way more fun than I expected. Let's have a ball!" He said as he lunged towards them. Adella blocked his sword with her own and Chainz swung the spiked ball and chain at the monster. He was hit in his side but didn't seem to take notice. "Good, that's the stuff!" He said as he knocked Adella back and headed towards Chainz once more.

Vincent began shooting at him and he ran to the side to avoid the assault. The weapons stopped firing and he quickly realized he had run out of ammo. He tossed the guns away and reached into his shirt before pulling out a shot gun. "Are you series?" Rai said looking in disbelief. He let off a shot but missed as Waver jumped into the air. "Don't you aim? He's going to kill us! Get it together man!" Rai shouted shaking Vincent by his collar.

"You're going to find out how well I aim if you don't get your hands off me."

"Noted." Rai said backing away from him.

Vincent tossed the gun back to Rika. "He gets close you pull that trigger!" He said pulling out his sniper.

"I can't use this! I'm a sister!"

"If he gets close and you don't pull that trigger you're going to be dog food!" Vincent said taking aim. "You're the only other one without a book, if he gets close to us then everyone will duck and you're going to pull that trigger… or die, I don't really mind either way."

He fired and hit Waver on the shoulder. He cursed under his breath. He was aiming for his head. Judging by the minimal damage to his shoulder he knew it wouldn't kill him, but he could at least slow him down. "Human weaponry? Pathetic."

"Better take that back." Vincent said smiling.

"Or else what?"

"I'm gonna tell my big sister on you." Vincent mocked.

A blast of sound flew by them and stuck Waver sending him flying into a nearby building. "Don't pick on my baby brother." Rachel said as she and Beat approached.

Beat didn't say anything. He kept walking and aimed his guns at the spot Waver landed. "I don't want anyone to take their eyes of him. You lose sight of him and chances are he's already cut you down? How long have you guys been fighting him?" Beat asked.

"Three minutes forty two seconds." Rai answered. Everyone stared at him. "Good with numbers." He said shrugging.

Beat nodded. "Made it here in time then. If anyone gets cut off from me cover your ears and retreat. Fight with him on your own for five minutes and you've already lost. Now, follow my lead." He said rushing in.

"He's a goner." Vincent said bluntly. "Stick to the original plan. But let the bastard think he's doing something. Adella, there are two people making openings for you now, capitalize on it. Chainz, make sure to keep out of Beat's fire. Don't know the past between these two but their brothers and they want to kill each other, if it's anything like it is with me and Rachel Beat's going to be fighting blindly and making a lot of mistakes. When Waver goes in to take advantage you nail the bastard."

"Got it." Chainz said running off after him. Adella followed him.

"You want to kill me?" Rachel asked glaring at him.

"…sometimes…"

* * *

Azure hesitantly made his way up the side of the building. His board got shattered when he landed and there was now only one way down. But he couldn't give up. If he set CJ free they could easily make it to the ground. Then they could help the others take on Waver. "I have to be brave, for the others." He said nervously. He climbed up another story and then rolled into the window. "CJ, I'm here too-"

Azure was cut off when Dawn kicked him in the chest and sent him rolling back. "If you think you're going to take away my new toy then thing again." She said smiling.

Azure rubbed his head and forced himself to his feet. "He's not a toy! CJ is a person!" Azure argued.

"He's a toy. And he's more interesting than any other toy I've ever had. Besides, Waver doesn't talk a lot and I want someone to keep me company." She said clinging onto CJ.

"Just hit her and help me!" CJ shouted.

"I can't hit her, she's a girl." Azure said.

"And you're a sissy! Now hit her!"

"No!"

Dawn punched Azure in the stomach and he buckled to his knees. "This is the easiest fight I've ever been in…" She was about to kicked him until she saw another figure standing over them. At first she thought Waver had come back, but when she looked up she saw it was a completely stranger. "Who are you?"

The figure didn't answer. He simply lifted his hands and formed a large ball of silver energy over his hand. CJ and Azure looked confused. This wasn't Alice, and it definitely wasn't Anaso. But they were the only two from the silver clan in the battle. So how was this guy using one of their spells. "Please disappear to ash."

CJ looked as the ball of energy grew even bigger. "_No! I can't die like this! I'm supposed to become king! I'm not going to get turned to ash here! I can't!_" CJ grew angry and struggled to break free from the chains. CJ began growing flames around him and busted loose. He shot forward and tackled the figure sending him, or rather her, right outside. As they landed a few floors down CJ realized he was on something… mushy.

"Get off you little perv!" The girl pushed him off and then shot a blast of wind at him. CJ dodged it by jumping and landed a few feet away. That was Kai's spell. And what's more she did it without anyone reading a spell.

"How did you do that!" CJ yelled. "Who are you anyway! And why are yours bigger then Grace's!" He said pointing to her chest.

The girl rolled her eyes. CJ had gotten a much better look at her. She was tall, and looked like she was around sixteen. She had purple hair tied into a short ponytail and wore a people tank top, white baggy jeans, and a pair of black boots. She carried a sword even larger then she was on her back. "I'm going to cut that smart little mouth right off your face." She said glaring at him with purple eyes.

"What the heck is going on here?" Dawn asked confused. "Who are you?"

"She's not with you?" Azure asked.

"Of course not!" Dawn said jumping down beside CJ. "Stop trying to break my new toy."

"I'm not after you kid. I'm here for your little boy toy. You're coming with me. In one piece or a dozen." She said point her sword at him.

CJ snapped his finger and made sure his spell was still active. He smiled. "Normally I would burn anyone who stood in my way to a crisp, but you're actually kind of cut. So I think I'll just char you a little bit." He said as flames engulfed his whole body.

"How cute. Maybe I'll only cut off you're limbs." She said as she formed a ball of silver energy in her hand. Wind began spiraling around her sword. "And just for the fun of it I'll use their spell to do it." She said smiling.

* * *

Vincent had no idea why he had used that spell, but he seemed to know for some reason it was right. He grabbed his eye. It felt like it was beginning to burn. "Are you okay?" Rika asked kneeling beside him.

"I'm fine, I think Azure and CJ are free, but I don't think they'll be down in a while. Give Azure his ice scythe just in case." He instructed. She nodded and read off the spell. "Ishimaru, keep an eye on Waver. The moment he tries to use a spell you use that shield and block it. Rai, turn up the head. You burn him enough and it'll make it an easy target for Chainz. Get me?"

Both nodded and Vincent gripped his eye again. It was beginning to throb now. "Are you sure you're okay? That looks painful." Rika said as she looked over him.

He coughed up a bit of blood. "I'm fine, you have to get away from me!" He said scooting away from her. _"Gynophobia! Now of all the damn times._"

"You're bleeding!" Rika said worriedly. She couldn't battle but she could at least see what was wrong with him.

"He has Gynophobia, you keep getting near him like that and he'll bleed out." Rachel said not taking her eyes of the battle. They were beginning to push Waver back.

"What? So that time we first met, you swung because of that! Why didn't you tell me!" Rika demanded.

"Because he's a prideful jackass." Rachel explained.

"Shut up." Vincent said still coughing.

* * *

CJ went flying back and crashed again the wall. The purple haired girl jumped up and swung her sword down, only to be blocked by Azure and his ice scythe. "She's strong, she's way to strong." Azure said panting. "We have to get out of here."

"Get away from my toys!" Dawn yelled stomping her feet.

"_She's calling me a toy now too._" Azure though sweat dropping.

The girl turned around and scowled. "I've had about enough of you, you loud mouthed little brat. Time to shut you up for good!" She shouted as she swung her sword as Dawn who seemed unfazed.

"It won't work." Dawn said sighing.

The sword was knocked back and the girl looked to see Kai holding two wind swords and Alice holding two balls of energy in her hand. "Interlopers. This wasn't part of the plan." The girl said gritting her teeth.

"That wind spell you have around that sword, it's mine!" Kai growled.

"How did you use out spells earlier, answer me!" Alice said. The two were still injured, but she didn't know that. Besides, it was four against one. Injured or not they had the advantage. "Talk!" Alice demanded.

The girl picked her sword back up and scowled. "Another time whelps! Next time I won't be so forgiving. And you." She said pointing to CJ. "I'll be sure to come back for you later. Don't think they'll be able to protect you forever." She said before raising her hand up. In an instance an ice wall formed between her and the others.

"That's my spell!" Azure shouted.

Alice threw the ball of energy and broke the wall down, but she was already gone. "Crap! She got away." Kai said kicking a nearby piece of ruble. "Who was that?"

"I don't know, but I don't think she was a mamodo." Alice said curiously.

"What? She had to be, she used spells. Our spells but still spells." Kai reasoned.

"But she didn't have a book. And she didn't smell like a mamodo. She smelt human. Somewhat human? Like she was mixed." CJ said sniffing around.

"A half-breed isn't unheard off, but that doesn't explain how she got spells from two mamodo from different clans." Alice countered.

"Well whatever it is we'll have to figure it out later. The others need our help." Azure stated.

* * *

Beat aimed his guns at Waver and fired. Waver ducked but was kicked by Chainz who now had a spikes sticking out of his arms, a green aura around him, and was more snake like. He punched Waver and knocked him back, but the smile never left his face. "Stop that smug smile! You're losing, just give up and go down!" Chainz yelled.

"Give up? Hell no! Everything just got fun!" He shouted charging at him. He kicked Chainz back and then swung his sword at Beat. Beat blocked with the blades on his guns but was sent flying back. "I know that isn't all you have little brother, and Chainz, you're a member of the cobra clan, you must have loads of spells! Show them to me!" He yelled smiling insanely.

Chainz struggled to get up. "This bastard. Anything we shoot at him gets cut, and slugging it out with him isn't working. What the hell are we supposed to do?"

"You're brother wouldn't have given up so easily." Grace jumped over Chainz head and punched Waver in the chest. He slid back and she stood ready to fight. "Get up. I won't accept you losing. Not here, and certainly not if that insufferable brother of yours would be able to stand in the same situation."

"Oh, it's you." Chainz said getting back up. "What brings you here?"

"Me." Teal said walking up beside Ishimaru. "Hey, Ishimaru-Senpai." She greeted.

"Teal? Long time no see." He said a bit relived. "Glad to see you."

"What are you doing here?" Vincent asked still coughing up blood.

"I'm so happy you're glad to see me." Teal said rolling her eyes. "Besides, you look like you could use the help." Teal said grabbing his hand. Vincent stopped coughing and now only how to deal with the massive burning in his eye. Still, he felt a little better at least.

"That's so cute!" Adella said smiling.

"Looks like not all girls give you gynophobia huh?" Rika asked with a smirk.

"Smooth man." Ishimaru said smiling.

"Shut up and focus you assholes!" Vincent yelled blushing. "We've got him on the ropes but he won't go down easily."

"Kirono!"

A silver blast came down and blasted Waver and Kai jumped down and slashed him as soon as the blast cleared. "Didn't forget about us did you?" Haley asked smirking. Derrick was right beside her. "We couldn't just leave you."

"Idiots. The injured only get in the way." Vincent said coldly.

"We love you too buddy." Derrick said chuckling.

"Azure! Now!"

"Let's do it! CJ!"

Vincent recognized the voice and looked up. "Super Rivals FlameIce combination!" CJ and Azure both crossed Waver with Ice scythe and flaming fist. Waver fell to the ground and CJ smiled as Azure let out a sigh of relief. He wasn't sure if that would actually work.

"Told you it would work." CJ said proudly.

"I guess you really can use a fire and ice combo." Azure said rubbing the back of his head.

"Vincent!" CJ tackled his partner to the ground. "My eye hurts. Does yours?" He asked.

"Yeah… how'd you know that?"

"How'd you know when to use the spell?"

"No clue."

"Can we have this sappy reunion later. Waver's finally down, it's midnight, and I need some rest and relaxation." Grace said yawning.

"We're not done here. The rest of you can go, cause I don't think you want to see me rip this guy's head off." Beat said walking towards the unconscious Waver.

Alice cut him off. "Don't, his book owner is up there, just catch her and burn it."

"Burning his book was never the plan kid. I was out for blood from day one." Beat said walking past her. It seemed like an argument was going to break out but Beat noticed something… off. Waver was down, he could see it. But something didn't feel right.

"What's that ringing?" CJ asked looking around.

Beat grew wide eyed. "Everyone get-" He was cut off when a loud sonic boom went off. It blew everyone back and sent them tumbling to the ground. No one could hear anything over the now loud and clear ringing. "Damn it." Beat cursed. He couldn't even hear himself however. He looked around. Everyone was struggling and failing to stand up. He figured the other could hear since they weren't as close, but the effects had obvious gotten to them.

"What the hell, I can't move straight." Chainz said struggling to simply stand.

"I can't either. What's happening." Alice said unable to get up.

"The ringing! He used the sound to mess with our balance and senses." Rachel said panting.

"I'm fine." CJ said standing as if nothing was wrong. Everyone looked towards him and Vincent who seemed to be fine. "I guess I folded my ears by reflex."

Vincent stood simply grunted. He didn't want to tell the other had faded out for a second and didn't hear anything. Truth be told he was out from the moment Beat began heading towards his brother to finish him off. It was only when he had been thrown back by the blast that he woke up. "Clever." Waver said beginning to get up. "I was getting a little bored and decided to ditch, but it seemed one of you can still move."

"What the hell is this monster?" Kai said balling his fist up. Try as he might he couldn't move. "CJ, Vincent, run for it!"

Vincent kicked Kai and everyone sweat dropped. "Idiot. Don't put me on the same level as the rest of you. I have a plan from the start!" He said as he opened his brown book. "Foboko!"

CJ grew grey amour and wind began to surround him. "A wind spell, when did you get that?" Haley asked.

CJ didn't say anything. Instead he took in a deep breath and… kept on breathing in. Eventually he swallowed the massive amount of air. "The technique for the air spell, the pump!" Vincent said as the air CJ swallowed began spreading through his body. His muscles were pumped up and CJ looked stronger than before.

Waver smiled. "Even after all this you have a trick up your sleeve. I love it." Waver said as he stick his sword in the ground. He tossed off his cloak and raised his fist ready to fight. "I want to see everything you have. Don't hold back."

"We're not planning to you bastard!" CJ said as he sprinted forward with amazing speed. He punched Waver in the chest and caused the older boy to cough out blood. Waver stumbled back and felt on his knee.

"_He's even faster than he is with the lightening spell!_" Grace thought.

"Not bad little brother." Beat said smirking.

"That brat might actually be able to do it." Chainz said still unable to stand.

"Go CJ!" Alice shouted.

Waver regained himself and then charged at CJ. He landed an equally painful blow to CJ's stomach and the boy stumbled back as well. The two rushed each other and were soon in a slug fest. "I can't lose!" CJ yelled punching as hard as he could.

"That's it, pour it on thick kid!" Waver said punching even harder.

Vincent looked closely and thought it looked even he could tell CJ was being pushed back. He saw CJ take a hit to the chin and slide back, but he still wasn't letting up with the punches. "CJ! Fall back, you can't beat him in a slugfest!"

"No! I can beat him!" CJ shouted taking another blow to the face. "I can-" CJ was hit and was beginning to fall back, and Waver took full advantage ready to deliver the final punch.

"CJ!" Vincent panicked. This wasn't part of the plan. How could Waver still have so much endurance left after this! The man should be on his death bed by now! "Don't you lie down you bastard! You're not allowed to lose until I make you king!" He yelled. "Stop embarrassing me! My little brother isn't allowed to lose"!

Vincent's eye began burning again. Suddenly CJ looked up and saw Waver coming down on him. Vincent had no idea how to explain it, but somehow he could see Waver too. It was like he and CJ were linked. They were seeing the same thing, sharing the same pain, thinking the same thoughts. "I see it, an opening." CJ muttered. He leaned back just enough to dodge Waver's punch and then reached out.

"_Grab him!"_

CJ grabbed Waver's face and then pulled him forward. "He's clinching!" Rachel said amazed. "He managed to clinch from that position?"

"Now CJ! Finish it!" Vincent yelled.

CJ raised his knee and then slammed it into Waver's face. Waver was going to fall back but the younger boy pulled him back and then slammed his knee into him again, and again. He kept it up and after about ten times thrust his knee one final time. He knocked Waver right on his back. CJ landed on his feet and then stumbled back. He looked at Waver to make sure he was down. He waited, expecting him to jump up and attack once more… it didn't happen.

"H-he's down." Beat said shocked.

"You beat him CJ… you actually beat him!" Alice said smiling. Everyone began to move again.

CJ looked in shock and then smiled. "Of course I did it! I'm the strongest guy there is!" He shouted up into the air. He then began falling back. Slash grabbed him by the front of his shirt and held him up. He didn't realize how banged up his body was from his move earlier.

"Sorry about that CJ. The air pump juiced you just, but it also puts extra strain on your muscles afterwards. Prices of power." Vincent said panting. "Oh course if you weren't so weak you could walk on you're down." The black haired teen began falling over as well.

"We got ya man." Derrick said as he and Rai held Vincent's shoulders.

"I can't believe you actually beat the monster. How did you do it CJ?" Adella asked.

"I don't know. It's like I heard this voice in my head telling me what to do. It almost sounded like his." CJ said pointing to Vincent. He looked at the others and realized they were staring at him. "What?"

"Y-you're eye." Azure said stunned.

"What's wrong with my eye?" He asked. Grace pulled out a mirror and showed it to him. He nearly bit his tongue when he saw that one of his eyes were blood red, and the other was brown. "What the hell?" He said shocked.

"Idiot. You obviously have Heterochromia." Vincent said sighing.

"Do you?" Teal asked.

"No why?"

"You're eyes are the same as his." She explained.

Grace turned the mirror towards him and he was shocked to see that his right eye remained the same, but his left eye was blood red. He grabbed CJ by the throat. "The hell did you do to me!" He demanded.

"How should I know!" CJ said confused.

"Alright, can we figure this out on the way home? I'm tired." Grace said yawning.

"My freaking eye is red! Don't act so nonchalantly about this!"

"Not my problem."

"Screw the lot of you!"

* * *

Waver laid on the ground hours after the other had left. Dawn stood over him pouting and he knew from how sore his body was that he had pushed his limits. "You had too much fun. You knew you're body wasn't as full strength yet. Why would you take on that many people?" She asked poking his forehead.

Waver smiled. "No. That CJ kid took me on by himself. I may not have been at full power, but defeating me was no small feat. I like him." He said chuckling. "I can't wait to fight him later on. It'll be a blast."

They heard footsteps coming and saw Beat standing over him. Dawn acted quickly and used her body to cover Waver. "You can't kill Waver-Nii!" She shouted.

"You killed our mother and father. You killed our cousins, aunts, uncles, grandparents, and you did it without a single hint of hesitation. How easy was it for you to kill them?" Beat asked glaring at his fallen brother.

"Incredibly."

Beat pointed his gun at him and had his finger on the trigger. "You aren't worth it." Beat began walking away but he heard Waver laughing.

"That's it? This whole time I assumed you wanted the truth. I guess you really were that absent minded weren't you?"

"What truth? The truth is you killed you're family!"

"Cut and dry little brother. If you want I can tell you the full story. I got nothing but time." He said smiling.

"If I don't like what I hear, I'll shoot through you both."

* * *

"Hot damn. That little brother of yours is impressive Angie. I can't believe he pulled it off." Anaso said smiling.

"Still, I would have thought she'd have gone down there. Must've taken all she had to resist jumping in." Neon said smirking to herself.

Slash simply grunted. "You're little siblings didn't do half bad either. The real problem is that we know our new enemy has a target. And it's CJ. What should we do boss lady?" Slash said looking towards the redhead.

"I think it's about time we shared the secret. We can't keep this between us anymore. It's starting to put the others in danger. They need to be prepared." She said looking down towards the others.

* * *

**A/N: Man, it's been a while hasn't it. Well, this marks the end of the first arc, I was thinking about pulling off a time skip but I figured I should end the first arc with some dignity. Don't know how well this turned out since i'm a bit rusty, but hopefully you all still enjoyed it. If not... go suck railroad spike! lol. **

**The next arch will start off a month from now. So there will be new spells, new mamodo, and new enemies. I bet no one can guess who/what the new enemy really is. Kekeke!**


	16. Holding All the Cards!

A whole month had passed. It had almost seemed unbelievable. While he would like to think things had returned to some form of normality during that time it only got more complicated. It was clear that Angie and the others knew something, and while they revealed there was an unknown enemy they didn't let them in on the details, something that irked him, a lot. Vincent tried to think as he looked at the vile in his hand. Purple hair, from the girl that attacked CJ, it was all he could find at the scene after the battle. "You going to stare at that thing all day?"

Derrick's voice snapped him out of his trance. Vincent sighed and looked around, only with his right eye since his left was covered with bandages, and grimaced at the site. When the year started he ate by himself, occasionally Chinchu came up and invaded his private time. But then Derrick and Haley began coming on a regular basis. Teal, the only one he welcomed, joined them later. Rikky started to come. And now Rika and Ishimaru sat on the roof with them as well. "It's crowded up here." He muttered.

"That's not a bad thing. I never got to eat lunch with this many people before. Never stayed at a school long enough." Haley said smiling. He had forgot the red head had switched schools regularly before moving to Japan. "And besides, it gives us all a chance to talk about class and all that other stuff. How're things going for you Ishimaru?" She asked turning towards their upperclassmen.

"Not bad. I've been checking out these colleges and a lot of people have been offering scholarships for playing soccer. I was already planning to go pro but this is kind of a confidence booster for me, you know. It's nice to know how many people recognize my super soccer skills." He said smirking. He and Haley laughed as Derrick scowled. He didn't hate Haley, but he didn't like him getting so chummy with Haley either.

Vincent noticed the stare and smirked. He looked like he was about to say something but Teal elbowed him before he could. "I have an upcoming match with the American champion coming up. I heard she's pretty tough. I couldn't find a lot of footage on her though. And what I did find was really crappy quality. I can't even make out her face." Teal said sighing.

"Doesn't really matter if she's facing you though does it? You're going to knock her out either way. You only had one match where you one by points. And you're one lost was scratched away since that girl was on steroids right?" Vincent asked surprising them.

"You watch women's boxing?" Haley asked.

"No, but I bet he watched all of Teal's matches." Derrick said smirking.

"Hey jockstrap. Do you want to eat with those chopsticks or where them?" Everyone laughed again and Vincent, as much as he fought against it couldn't help but smirk. Was this how normal people felt when they were surrounded by people they knew. He didn't know if he could classify them as friends or not though. "You guys are a bunch of goofballs." He said as he sat back and took a sip from his juice pouch.

Rika sighed. "Are you really one to talk? You're brother is a bit of a goof ball isn't he?" She asked as Vincent scowled. A bit was a huge understatement. He decided to ignore the question, she clearly knew the answer, hell, anyone would know the answer to that question after meeting his stupid brother just once. "I also heard from the sisters that you're sister enrolled in a catholic school nearby. But I didn't know she was catholic?"

"We're not catholic. She's only trying to get closer to Reggie." He stated. Everyone began growing a serious look on their face. They now knew it was time to talk battle strategy. "I know for a fact that Angie's enrolled in the same school. Their getting closer to one another, the only reason that bastard Aaron is still here is to keep an eye on us."

"Rachel and Angie in schoolgirl uniforms. That leaves a lot to the imagination." Derrick said rubbing his chin.

"You're such a pig." Haley said elbowing him.

He smirked and wrapped his arm around Haley's waist then grabbed her hand in his own. "I should apologize for being so rude. I can't think about other women when I have such a ray of beauty sitting right beside me." He said giving her his charming smirk. She blushed but then pushed him away. "I'll get a date from you one of these days."

"If you're done being all lovey dovey can we get back on topic, their hiding something from us. Haley, I managed to find out that your brother is with them. Can't you get anything out of him?" Vincent asked.

"He won't tell me anything. He just keeps telling me I don't need to know. But Kai and Toshiro are pretty close. He might have told him something." Haley said thinking hard on it.

"Derrick, Anaso had to keep his sister in the loop. Does she know anything?"

"No. She tried but he's pretty firm on keeping her out of it." Derrick said sighing.

Vincent stomped his foot. He was getting irritated at all this secrecy. CJ had been attacked, and he was pretty sure he was still being targeted. "I think Chainz my know something. Unlike the rest of you I have a partner whose sibling seems to hate him. Slash didn't say anything, but Angie talked to him about it." Ishimaru explained.

"What does he know?"

"Apparently the king sent the Angie, Slash, Anaso, Neon, and Toshiro here to deal with the issue before it got out of hand. They couldn't find out where the enemy was hiding out and they've had time to expand and get stronger. They didn't let him know too much though." He said scratching his head.

"If their talking to him chances are their going to tell him where their next meeting is. We're crashing it and we're ALL going to demand answers. And Rika, tell that baby doormat of yours to stand of to Neon for once." Vincent said scowling.

"Oh, that's easy for you to say. Why don't you NUT up and demand answers from Rachel?" Rikky questioned.

"Because Rachel is… just be there damn it!" Vincent yelled. Derrick made a whipping sound with his mouth and Ishimaru made a whipping motion with his hand. "Screw off!"

* * *

Haley opened the door and saw Kai and Toshiro sitting on the couch. Leon was sitting on the couch next to. She walked over and tapped her brother on the shoulder. He looked up at her, and she could tell he would be only half listening since a game was on. "We need to talk. I want you to tell me about what Angie and Slash are up to." Toshiro looked like he was going to say something but wisely kept his mouth shut. Who was he to get between siblings. Kai either was trying to keep out of it or just didn't care.

"Haley, I'm not letting you in on this. We have this handled and I don't want you in any danger." He said going back to the game. "And that's the end of it." She stepped on the level on the side of the couch and pulled it back causing him to tumble out of it. He rolled back, shook his head, and then stood up and glared at his younger sister. "Ouch, how about a little respect for the eldest here?" He asked rubbing his head.

"You haven't let me in the loop about anything. And you guys don't have it handled. CJ got attacked. Whoever this enemy is their getting bolder and we need to start getting bolder too." She said looking all too serious at her older brother. "You can't just keep hiding things from us Leon. You're my brother and we're in this battle together. We're supposed to be telling each other everything."

"Oh, we're talking about everything are we?" He asked getting serious. She knew what was coming and rolled her eyes. "Tell me about that Derrick kid!"

"He's just a friend!" She said. "For the hundredth Leon we're just friends!"

"I've seen the way he eyes you!"

"He eyes every girl like that!"

"That's even worst!"

"What about you and Rachel!" She accused.

"That's on an info exchanging basis!" He countered.

"Please! You could call her over the phone!"

"Sorry, but shouldn't you be on the topic of the new enemy?" Toshiro asked before taking a sip of his soda. Haley looked back at her brother in disbelief. He had been trying to change the subject this whole time. Leon looked at his partner as if to say 'Whose side are you on?' "Mine." Toshiro said practically reading his partner's mind. "I'm on my side." With that, he went back to the TV.

Leon thought for a moment and then sighed. "I'll let you come, but you have to listen and hear everyone out. And don't think we're going to put you into action. This is for informational and defense purposely only."

"Yeah, that's totally going to happen." Toshiro said smirking.

"I wish…" Kai scowled and slumped down in his seat.

* * *

Slash stood at the top of a building and looked down at Ishimaru's place. As much as he hated to admit it his brother was getting stronger. They needed more numbers whether the others were willing to admit it or not, but he'd never go to him. "Don't you think it's about time you swallow you're pride and just ask him?" He turned his head surprised to see Grace. How had she snuck up on him?

"You think I'd actually go asking him for help? When he realizes that he can't survive on his own he'll come to us." He said as he turned around to face her. He held his nose as blood spilled out and got all over his clothes. She was wearing a school uniform. "What the hell are you wearing?" He asked still holding his nose.

"You like it? Anaso's partner had a whole bunch of extras left over. I thought it would try one on." She said spinning around for him. "What the matter?"

"It's looks like it's three sizes to small!" He said as he leaned his head back. Teal, the only woman in the world that could make this man's nose bleed.

"Never mind that. You need to hurry up and swallow you're pride. Chainz is your brother, and the fact of the matter is that neither of you is at fault here. If you're going to blame anyone, blame you're father."

"Well he's HIS favorite, so I'm going to make him pay through Chainz. Then I'm going to beat him into the ground myself." Slash said balling his fist up. "And I'm not going to give in to either of them."

"It's not giving in to ask for help! You think I like asking you for help? You're being a pig headed asshole!"

"So you're saying I should just try and act like we're loving brothers now? Are you kidding me?"

"Please?" She asked swaying back and forth on her toes.

"No." He said sternly. She pulled her shirt down slightly and more blood spilled from his nose. "Still no!" He shouted leaning his head back one more.

"He didn't start his Slash, YOU did! You came after him! And you got so obsessed going after him you forgot about everything else. Including me."

"This is coming from the girl who still isn't talking to her sister."

Grace looked like she was going to punch him for a second but then just shook her head. "Because she's just like YOU! I didn't start anything with her, I couldn't help that I was born first! What the hell do you want me or Chainz to do about that! You essentially hate him because he was BORN! What kind of brother are you!"

"The kind that wants his birthright!"

"You can have mine if you want! To hell with it!"

"Are we interrupting something?" They both looked over and saw Anaso and Neon standing in the door way.

"YES!" Both yelled.

"But I want to stay and watch." Anaso said rubbing his hands together. Both Slash and Grace ran towards them ready to swing and the two ran back through the door, Anaso laughing.

"Why do you hang out with those idiots?" Grace asked.

"Boredom. Besides, I don't exactly have a long list of friends."

"I wonder why."

"BURNED!" Slash had to kill Anaso later.

* * *

Vincent looked down in his microscope at the strand of hair. He knew something was there to give him a clue, but he couldn't get his finger on it. He looked over at the sleeping CJ who hadn't bothered covering his eye. He was perfectly fine letting that bloodshot thing show on his face. Vincent didn't have the luxury. He couldn't afford to attract any more attention. "Let's see how useful this thing really is."

He peeled the bandages off and used his left eye to stare closely at the hair. There was definitely something strange about it. If not for the odd color he would have thought it was Alice's hair. It certainly smelled like her hair. Wait? How did he know that? "Buns…." He looked over at CJ and scowled. The idiot was dreaming about Alice and Kai.

He knew this eye was a double edge sword. When it activated, he and CJ could think the same thoughts, share information without saying a word. They were completely synched to on another. But that was also the problem. There were some things in Vincent's head that people like CJ just weren't supposed to see. He looked at the hair closely again.

He was so stupid! How could he have not thought of it before. It was unlikely but plausible. He reached over and grabbed a shirt from his closet. The one he wore a month ago. He searched it carefully. Strands of silver hair were on it. Alice hugged him a dozen times that day. And if he couldn't have found a hair all the snot from her blubbering face would serve as DNA as well. He had work to do.

Teal hit the punching bag as hard as she could. As much as she hated to admit it she was nervous, afraid even. Between her upcoming match and this new enemy thing her mind was cluttered. She punched harder and harder with every swing. "Ah! Why doesn't everything have to be so complicated?" She shouted as she hit the punching bag with all the might she could muster. It came off its hinges and hit the floor.

"I don't think you're dad will keep paying for punching bags. You also might want to keep that temper in check too." Vincent said as he came in smiling. She glared at him but after his knew found discovery could get him down. He walked in and after making sure her father was nowhere to be seen he leaned forward and kissed Teal. After a few seconds, which was impressive considering it was usually just a peck on the lips, he headed for the kitchen.

She blushed and smiled towards him. "You're all touchy feely today. What's making you so frisky?" She asked as she followed after him. She watched as he raided their fridge in search for food. She couldn't get mad considering she did the same thing when they were little… okay, so she still did it, but he invited her. "I don't think we have anything good in there. Dad is at the store now." Teal said leaning on the counter.

"Whatever. Want to go out or something? I feel like celebrating, a night out on the town." He said wrapping his arms around her. Just as she was about to ask why he was so happy he answered her. "I found out who the enemy is. Well, not the one behind it but who we're fighting at least. Do you know how good it feels to have something over everyone?"

She pointed to her boxing title on the couch and he shrugged his shoulders. "So who are we fighting exactly?"

"Oh no, I can't spoil the surprise. You have to be there when I break the news and hold it over their heads. I talked to Angie and we're all going to meet at the construction site tomorrow."

"Look at you being all sly and mysterious. I like it better then you're usual scowling self." She said before kissing him.

"Hey!" Both the teens looked over and saw Teal's father and brother at the door.

"Busted." Trey said smirking at his sister.

"Crap!" Vincent ran and made his way out through the back with her father hot on his tail. Over two months of dating and he still kept this up. "Don't you have anything better to do?"

"Yeah, come to your house and kill you!"

"It's been three months!"

"And soon I'm going to make it six feet!"

Vincent ran to his Harley and jumped on it. He turned to her father and then held his hands up to him. "This is the safe zone. Father or not this bike is my baby."

He seemed like he was about to say something but Teal pushed him out of the way. "I'll be back before it gets late. We're just going to get something to eat." Teal said.

"Bring me back a burger or something will ya?" Trey yelled from the window.

"Sure." Teal said as she put her helmet on.

"Do not stay out late with my daughter. If you do I'll come to your house and kill you."

"Yeah, I've never had my life threatened before." Vincent said rolling his eyes. He drove off leaving the old man in anger.

"Little bastard…."

* * *

The door was kicked open and Vincent walked into the old abandoned building followed by Teal and CJ. He walked to the table where everyone and their partners sat waiting. He put his foot on the table and looked around serious at everyone. They were all here. Every single one of them, that's how he knew they were serious. "I'm sorry does anybody have something to drink? Like some water or something. My throats a little dry." Vincent said rubbing his throat.

Everyone sighed but then Anaso reluctantly tossed him a bottle of water. He opened it and then drank about have before spitting it out. "That was nasty as hell. Don't you have any other type of water? Deer Park sucks." Patience thinning Angie threw him another bottle of water from the fridge. Anaso smirked, knowing putting the mini fridge in would come in handy some day. "Anyone have a crystal light?"

"Stop screwing around you bastard!" Slash said banging his fist on the table. "You said you had important information, and that you'd tell us if we told you what we knew! I'm not going to sit here and play this game with you! If you have valuable information tell us now!" Slash said clearly annoyed by Vincent antics.

"Anyone got any pain killers? My eye is bothering-"

"Alright, that's it!" Neon got up about to charge the boy but Anaso held him back. "If you keep on messing around with us we won't tell you a damn thing! For all we know this 'Important info' could be something we already know! What could you have possibly found out in a month that we didn't in four anyhow?" Neon said balling his fist up.

Vincent sat back in his chair. "I can promise you the info I have probably trumps all the info you idiots have gathered. It only took one stand of hair… well, two technically." He looked around at every older sibling in the room. "I want to hear what you all have first."

"You come here, screw around, and then expect us to tell you what we know?" Toshiro said raising an eyebrow.

"In all fairness we're not the ones who need this info. If he already knows more then you then we're all going to get involved in this anyhow, even if you didn't want us to, only it won't be alongside you. By the way you're struggling to control the situation you don't look like you can afford a third party in this mix. If you want us to work alongside you rather then against you then you really don't have a choice but to tell us." Kai said as Toshiro turned towards him.

"Thanks bro." Toshiro said sarcastically.

"Welcome." Kai responded smirking.

Vincent waved his finger at them. "Don't get mad at him. He's got a point you know. No matter how you try and chop it up the fact of the matter is you hide the truth from us. I can understand the snake brothers, and Neon. Hell, I don't even blame Rachel and Angie not telling me. But the rest of you? You have family you cared about behind the front lines without a clue what was going on. Had you all been killed in action where would the rest of us be? At the mercy of some unknown enemy we'd have never known about."

"We did that for your protection." Angie said sternly.

He shook his head. "Whenever the truth is hidden it's always for the greater good isn't? I'm sure you just didn't want to cause panic for all the other contestants. I mean, along with the fact that you'd be eliminating rivals for kingship it would just be terrible wouldn't it?" Vincent asked with sarcasm dripping from every word. "You weren't protecting anyone. And as much as you'd like to think that way you only put us in mortal danger. If Waver hadn't attacked when he did it would have been that girl who had taken CJ, and we'd never have gotten him back."

"Hey, you're not exactly a saint either. Rachel told me stories and we all know you're original plan was to use all your friends to get CJ to the top." Everyone looked towards Vincent who simply smiled.

"The plans changed."

"Vincent!" Alice said in disbelief.

"None of you were planning on doing the same?" He asked raising an eyebrow. "Maybe out little alliance would have held up, and maybe we'd all make it to the end, but then what? I made a promise, we all did, to make out partners king. We'd have to fight each other eventually. And the fact of the matter is we still do. At some point anyone of us in this room could end up fighting the other for king. Though it'll most likely be me."

"Damn straight!" CJ shouted.

Everyone looked towards each other and Angie let out a sigh. "Fine. You're right, we should have let you in the loop. But if you want us to trust you then you have to work with us."

"I don't want you're trust. This is a partnership, strictly business. Trust was never a factor in the matter. Now, tell me what you know."

Angie sighed knowing she didn't have a choice at this point. "The king sent us here with more than the competition in mind. He sensed traces of Mamodo power in the human world before the battle occurred. He sent a small number of us to investigate and dispatch whatever this new enemy was. But before we could even get to their last known location they moved out. They seemed to know when we were coming."

"They mostly stay in the shadows and they've rarely attacked before. When they did it was just hit and run tactics and they kept themselves hidden. They are able to use all of our spells and don't even use books. There was a suspicion that they were half breeds, but that would leave the question of why someone would pass this many half breeds on. And where they all came from that matter. Only one mamodo from the previous battle was confirmed to have a son. They contacted and confirmed this with the human world through unknown methods." Anaso said rubbing his chin.

"Anything else?" Vincent asked.

"We've been fighting them for a while now but we don't have any hard info on them." Toshiro admitted.

"Useless. Every one of you." Vincent said sighing. "There was absolutely no valuable information in that little rant at all. How the hell did you idiots manage to hold together this long?"

Slash turned towards Rachel. "I realize he's your brother and you love him, but he's irking me, and if he doesn't stop irking me I'm going to bust his skull open."

"Be my guest." Rachel said crossing his arms.

Vincent pulled out a small jar from his pocket and held it up in the air. "There are two hairs in this jar. One belongs to the she devil that tried to kidnap CJ a month ago. The other belongs to the cub over there. I took them both from the site of the battle the very next day." He opened the jar ignoring the look Anaso gave him for having one of his sisters hairs and then held it to CJ. "Sniff." He ordered.

CJ looked at him as if he were crazy, but sniffed the jar. It smelled like… honey... and apples. It was a really sweet smell. "It's doesn't smell terrible."

"Now smell Alice's hair." CJ and Alice looked at each other red in the face. "Just do it."

"I-I don't need to. I smelt it when she came in. I can smell everyone."

She looked at him curiously. "H-how does it smell?" She asked looking to the ground.

He looked away from her and scratched the back of his head. "It smells… okay."

"Tell how they really smelled or else I'll tell her about the rash."

CJ looked wide eyed. "I-it smelled like honey and apples, the jar and her hair."

"So besides humiliating him what did that accomplish?"

"They smelled the same. Exactly the same. CJ has a nose ten times stronger then a blood hounds, maybe more. But both those hairs, despite behind mixed together smelled exactly the same as Alice's hair. CJ would have spotted even the slightest difference in the scent. What does that tell you?" He asked.

"It tells me I need to have a talk with CJ about personal space." Angie said glaring a him.

"I thought someone brought actual apples! I was hungry!"

Vincent banged his fist on the table. "Hey, do me a favor and shut the hell up. I'm trying to explain something here. The reason why they smell exactly the same is because it might as well be Alice's hair. It's got her DNA in it." He said holding up the purple strand of hair.

"That's impossible!" Anaso said slamming his fist against the table.

"No it isn't."

"That hair isn't silver." Neon said nonchalantly.

"Because it's dyed." Vincent answered.

"So she's a silver clan member?" CJ asked.

"No one from our clan would do that!" Alice shouted.

Vincent scowled. "You Dummy's I said the EXACT DNA, it isn't similar, it's down to the last detail. They're not part of the Silver clan, or any other clan! They're not even mamodo! Their clones!" Everyone looked shocked as Vincent grew a serious look on his face.

Neon balled his fist up. "That really is impossible!" He said slamming it against the table. "We thought you had valid information!"

"It's the truth! They have mixtures of all you're DNA! I got samples from Toshiro, the only one who seems slightly competent out of you, and matched DNA two each and every person in this room, including the book owners. When you were fighting them did you notice anything out of the ordinary, besides them being able to use your spells? CJ's speed, Waver's durability, Derrick's perception, their ability to use martial arts like Haley and Aaron! It's not just spells, it's us!"

"How?"

"I don't know what yet. But I know that their watching. They always seemed to be watching and their always close, even if we don't realize it. That's why ever since this meeting had started I'd searched for clues to where one might be hiding. And I found them." He said ripping his bandage off his eye. CJ knew what Vincent was talking about and immediately looked up at the ceiling.

"I see him!"

"Fogar!"

* * *

**A/N: CLIFF HANGER UPPERCUT! KO! So the first chapter of the second arc begins. I started off with Vincent and co because in this arc it'll be more focused on his issues with trusting other people. Don't think he's going soft though. He's still the same underhanded manipilative bastard he was before. Kekeke!**

**Also, bet no one thought they'd be clones. I threw a curve ball on that one huh? Even mentioned the halfbreeds to throw you off. And now that they have a lead on one of them we'll get to see how strong their new enemy is. I hope everyone liked it. Also hope you got the pulp fiction referance. **


	17. Too Be Strong

The figure jumped back from the large hole in the roof and CJ jumped out after it. He'd catch that stupid clone no matter what! He charged at the figure and noticed someone was beside him. "You didn't think I'd let you take all the fun did you?" Chainz said smirking. CJ growled as they both rushed at the still smoke covered figure.

"I'll go high you do low!"

"Why do I have to do low?!" Chainz shouted.

"Cause you're a snake!"

"You're a rat!"

"I'M A GUINEA PIG!"

Both of them were knocked back by the figure. Vincent slapped his forehead and Ishimaru who was climbing up the hole sighed. Couldn't they pick another time to do this? "I got it!" Alice who was now in the air smiled as she lifted her hand. CJ and Chainz looked surprised. They hadn't heard her use her flight spell.

"Kirono!"

She launched the silver blast at the figure to turned around and knocked it away. CJ ran at the figure and quickly removed his bandages from his eye. Chainz rushed from the other side and prepared to swing down. "Fogar!" "Hokeigo!" CJ kicked a flaming foot at the figure as Chainz swung down a spiked ball and chain. The figure disappeared at the last second leaving a confused CJ.

Suddenly the spiked ball and chain came down and smashed into CJ. He had the air knocked out of his stomach and then rolled onto his knees and buried his face into the roof. "Are you crying?" Vincent asked already knowing the answer.

"No!" He lied. He wasn't going to cry, no in front of Chainz and Alice anyway. He got up and looked at Chainz with watery eyes. "You hit me you asshole!"

Chainz shrugged his shoulders. "You'll live… I think so anyway." He looked around trying to find their target. "Where's the clone go?" Chainz suddenly looked behind him and saw a face smiling at him. It was a girl, who tried to take CJ when they fought Waver.

She held her hand out and a sword appeared in her hand. She quickly put it to his throat. "Well, aren't you just the cute one. I was assigned to take the little one, but since we don't have any DNA from you're half when I might as well bring you on back too."

"Sweet, but not currently looking for a girlfriend." Chainz said smirking.

"Kai Lei!"

Chainz's laser shot from his mouth and knocked the sword from her hand. He turned around and tried to punch her, but she caught his fist fire appeared in her hand and she began to burn his skin. He quickly pulled his fist back and CJ jumped over him and tried to drop kick the girl, but she backed and he simply smashed part of the roof in.

Underneath them Kerri had almost been crushed. She looked furious. "How dare those commoners attempt to dirty my clothes! Bou! I demand you put an end to this nonsense at once!"

Teal nodded and Grace smiled. Both she and Bou jumped up and punched the ceiling. It easily crumbled and everyone above, including the girl fell. Unfortunately everyone underneath was nearly crushed by the ceiling. The girl looked around and quickly realized she was outnumbered and outmatched. "Next time boys." She said smirking at CJ and Chainz.

She jumped off and began leaping from rooftop to rooftop. Angie and Slash prepared to go after her, but suddenly a number of chains appeared above the building cutting them off. "Damn it!" Slash said annoyed. Angie swung her sword and cut through them, but they were gone. "She must have had back up."

Beat and CJ jumped past them. "Don't worry Nee-sama! I'll get them!"

"I'm on it!" Beat said.

"CJ! Wait a minute!"

"No, I'm faster, I can catch them!" He said as he kept going. Angie pulled out a small ball and chain and tossed it. She caught CJ around his leg and pulled him back. He hit the ground rubbed his head. "Ow! Angie, what the big deal?!"

She shook her head. "Beat is far more than enough to handle them. You're better off just staying here with the others. I'll follow them." She dropped him and then leaped off.

CJ stood up and looked annoyed. He didn't get it! He was faster, he was a far better tracker, so why did she get to go and not him! "Ouch." Slash said smirking.

"What are you laughing about!" CJ said angrily.

"Hey kid, don't be mad at me. She's the one who left you behind." Slash said turning around to walk off. "By the way, tell that partner of yours he got some good info. Clones or not these guys are able to use our spells, so we need to be on the lookout."

As he walked off Kiichiro waved back at him. "See you rat boy!"

"I'm a Guinea pig!"

* * *

CJ sat with his arms crossed. He'd been left behind again. Why was is that every time something happened Angie made him stay behind? She never made Beat stay behind before. "Are you still sulking over something like that? She's you older sister you dummy, she's always going to make you stay behind from the dangerous stuff." Vincent said finishing off the last of the pizza.

He still didn't like it. He grabbed a slice of pizza and quickly began to eat. He always stuffed his face like this when he was angry. "It's not fair. She trusts Beat enough to let him go but not me? She's always babying me." He said grumpily. Alice reached forward and took a slice as well. "Hey, I was going to eat that one!"

"Why did you put it on your plate?" She asked.

He pouted. "It wouldn't fit with the other slices." He said. Alice looked down and saw that he had five slices on his plate. She sighed and simply handed him the slice. Haley quickly reached down and gave it back.

"Be nice CJ. Being mean to Alice won't make you feel any better." The red head instructed.

He quickly began stuffing his face again. "Man, you must be really mad at her huh. I've never seen you stuff you're face this much before." Derrick said.

"Because she doesn't trusts me! All my life I've been one of Nana's Trio! Angie was the skill, Beat was the strength, and I was the speed, we went together like clockwork! But the minute I try and branch out and do something on my own she babies me!"

"Because you're weak." Vincent stated simply.

CJ looked up towards him. "Vincent!" Haley scolded.

"Not cool man." Derrick said.

Vincent shrugged his shoulders. "I'm not taking it back. I mean looked around. Compared to people like Angie and Slash we're ants among giants. With them being so strong they'll naturally attract strong enemies, so no wonder she'd want to hold you back."

CJ looked at him angrily. "I'm not weak!"

"Yes you are. Be honest, if it wasn't for my strategy Kai would have sent you home months ago." He said picking his nose. "I'm not saying these things to be hurtful, but as facts." He said laying on his back. CJ balled his fist up. He got up and then began marching towards the door. Vincent scowled and got up going after him. He already knew what he was planning.

Alice stepped infront of him. "CJ, don't do anything rash!" She warned.

She looked terrified when she saw his eyes. They were full of fury. "Alive, move."

"CJ please!"

Vincent waved his hand. "Just let him go. He needs to do this." Vincent said walking past her. CJ stomped out as well.

"O-Oi! What are you planning on doing?" Kai asked worried.

"I'm going to show Angie she can't keep on treating me like a baby!" The others got up and followed. Mostly to make sure CJ would be okay, but also because they knew they couldn't miss this.

* * *

CJ stormed towards the table he saw them all sitting at. Anaso, Neon, Bou, and Slash, as well as their partners. All the 'Strongest' competitors of the battle, sitting like they were just having an idle chat! Angie turned and saw him. "Oh, CJ. Beat hasn't returned yet. I think Rachel went out to find him."

CJ glared at her. She could immediately tell something was wrong. "I guess I'd only drag him down right?"

"What?" Angie asked confused.

Slash chuckled. "Someone's a little testy today huh. Usually he's at you're beck and call Angie." CJ looked at him angrily. Slash… Slash, that was it! Slash was the one person who'd been able to fight Angie to a draw! Those two were beyond a doubt the strongest competitors in the competition!

"Slash! I want you to fight me!" CJ demanded angrily.

Slash looked at him and then laughed. "You have to be joking."

"Fokuro!"

Slash's smirk changed to a frown when he saw an ice spike pointing towards his face. "Do I look like I'm joking with you? I want a fight, and I want one NOW!" He demanded.

Slash got up but Angie quickly raised her arm. "Wait a second Slash, even you know something is wrong here." She turned to her little brother. "What exactly is the matter CJ?"

He ignored his sister. "I'm challenging you to a fight Slash! Unless the mighty big brother of the Cobra clan is just all talk!" He said in a challenging tone.

Now the older boy got up ready to fight. "It's you're funeral pipsqueak." He said clearly annoyed with the boy. "Let's take it outside."

"Fine by me."

Angie looked nervous as everyone headed outside. Alice looked scared as well. She was completely sure CJ was crazy. The guys all just seemed to be enjoying the show. They stepped outside and stood ten feet away from each other. "Wait a minute here! CJ, why are you doing something so reckless?!" Angie said.

He still didn't listen to her. "Let's do this!" He said jumping into the air. His water spell was still activated, so he might of well take advantage of it. He lifted his hands and then made a huge ice sword appear above his hands. "Take this!" He swung down at him.

Slash didn't budge. He smirked and then lifted his fist. The sword shatter immediately. "What's the point of making an ice sword that's hollowed out like that? That couldn't even cut through butter." He looked forward and then saw CJ was nowhere to be seen among the shattered ice. "_What?_"

"It's called a distraction dummy!" He formed an ice spear in his hands and stabbed forward at Slash. Slash quickly turned around and moved aside barely avoiding the spear. It scratched his cheek and he looked pissed. He grabbed the spear and then punched CJ sending him flying back and hitting the ground hard. He slid back a few more feet and then coughed out a little blood.

"CJ!" Angie yelled.

"Oh no! I knew he was in over his head!" Alice said growing worried.

"This isn't funny, he's seriously outmatched here." Derrick said turning towards Vincent. He didn't say a word.

Slash threw the ice spear at him but CJ held his hands up and turned it back into water before it would impale him. He quickly jumped back up to his feet. "You tried to finish me off with one blow. That was a pretty smart strategy kid, but don't think I'll give you that chance again."

CJ grunted and then held his hands up. A ring of water surrounded his body. "I don't need you to give me any openings! Try this on for size your overgrown garden snake!" He yelled as a drop of water shot forward. Slash looked confused but dodged at the last second. The tree behind him was completely shot through and fell to the ground.

CJ cursed under his breath. He should have known Slash would realize. "Pressurized water…" Slash mumbled. This kid wasn't joking around. If Slash had been hit by that he might have taken some real damage. "You're really serious about this huh?"

"You better be too! Cause if you're not serious then It'll just make it even easier for me!" He said firing off drops of water like a machine gun. Slash ran dodging the line of fire and CJ tried to pin him down. When he ran past the others everyone ducked and the building behind them was now full of holes. "Stand still!"

"No thanks." Slash said holding his hands out. "Kiichiro!"

Everyone looked surprised. Slash was seriously going to use his spells again him? Did he even need to? "Slash, stop-"

"Ganzu Go Hokeiron!" Two turrets extended from Slash's hands and bullets began flying out towards CJ. The two had a standoff, their droplets and bullet both countering eachother. A few of their shots got by each other, but none of them were direct hits. It didn't take long to see CJ couldn't fire his water nearly as fast as Slash could his bullets.

Before he was overrun CJ made a dome of ice around himself. The bullet began chipping away at the ice and Slash looked impressed. "_He froze pressurized water so the ice would hold up._"

Angie grabbed her sword. "I'm stopping this."

Vincent held his hand out cutting her off. "Don't even think about it." He said strictly. "Foku!"

Slash looked over at Vincent then back at the dome of ice. It was beginning to shatter. Was he planning to attack as soon as it broke down? Could he even pool that off? The dome shatter and Slash was shocked to see nothing there. "That sneaky little-"

CJ jumped from the ground wearing his earth amour and attacked Slash from his side using a rock fist. "Eat this!" He punched as Slash who countered by throwing his elbow back. CJ's fist and Slash's elbow collided. CJ was blown back and tumbling onto the ground. "D-damn it." He really thought he had him that time.

"Gigano Hokeigo!"

Slash shot a huge spiked ball and chain at CJ. He raised his hands and then slammed them on the ground. Two rocks came up and slammed into the spiked ball, pinning it. "Nice try." Slash said pulling on the chain. He easily un-wedged the weapon and then swung it around in the air.

He swung it downwards at CJ. He jumped to the side but the weapon hit him on his side knocking him a few feet. He grabbed his side and quickly got up just in time to avoid a second attack. Everyone seemed on edge. One wrong move and CJ would be a pancake. Angie looked more worried than the others though. Vincent looked at her disgusted but said nothing.

CJ kept avoiding the spiked ball and chain and prepared for a next attack. The first chance he got he slammed his hands on the ground and a huge rock pillar rose from the ground. "I-it's huge!" Kai said amazed.

"Was this what he was doing while he was training?" Haley said shocked.

"Not bad." Anaso commented.

"Not great, but I suppose for a kid his age it's all you can expect." Neon said smirking.

He hurled the large rock at Slash who just held his hands up. Kiichiro had just the spell for this. "Egdris Gazuron!" Two axe blades rose from the ground and then crossed each other forming a large X shaped drill. It shot forward easily reducing the rock pillar to ruble and headed right for CJ.

"Fokugar!" CJ grabbed the drill with his bare hands attempting to slow it down.

"A power up spell. He must have been doing a lot of physical training." Anaso commented.

CJ was struggling to keep the drill back. But he knew he could do this. "Having trouble?" Slash was already behind him. He lifted his hands as CJ looked shocked. He couldn't defend himself or else the drill would get him!

"Oruga Hokeiron!" Slash shot two battering rams from his arms smashing into CJ and sandwiching him between the two spells. Both exploded and everyone's heart skipped a beat. They waited for the dust to clear. When it did they weren't surprised to see Slash standing over a bruised and bloodied CJ.

"Oh no…" Alice ran over to go check on him as Slash turned to leave.

"Not yet…" Slash felt a hand grab his ankle and turned back around. CJ was struggling to keep his grip on him. "Don't you turn your back on me, I'm not done yet." He said.

Slash looked down at him. He was crying, pathetic. But he still didn't look like he was going to give him. Something about that look in his eyes. "Why?" Slash asked simply.

"Because I don't want to live in someone's else's shadow…" CJ said forcing himself to stand. Slash kicked him back and knocked him to the ground once more. If the kid wanted to keep fighting then he'd let him.

Angie had had enough. She grabbed her sword and prepare to jump in, but Vincent stood in front of her. "Move!" She said angrily. "This isn't time for one of you're stupid tests of CJ's strength!"

Vincent looked pissed. "I'm not about to let you ruin this for him! He needs this!"

"If you don't move I'll cut you down myself!"

Slash charged at CJ but Vincent quickly reacted. "Fokuro!" CJ made a ring of water around his hands and blocked Slash's next punch. They both bounced back. CJ fell flat on his back and Slash easily landed on his feet. Slash watched as CJ forced himself to stand again.

"You idiot! He's already gone past his limit! He can't win!" Angie said pointing her sword at him.

"Don't even think about cutting in Angie!" CJ yelled. Angie looked past Vincent as CJ who was wobbling. "This is my fight, and no one else gets to cut in…" He lifted his hand and shot a drop or water at Slash who leaned his head to the side and dodged.

"What are you talking about?" Angie asked. "CJ! This is crazy!"

"Not it's not, it's simple. If I defeat Slash you'll have to acknowledge me as strong." He said panting.

"I already know you're strong! You don't have to-"

"You don't act like it!" He said almost falling over. He stopped himself and then glared at her. "I wanted you to think I was strong like you, but now I know no matter how much I try, or how much stronger I get you'll always view me as the little brother."

Angie had no idea CJ had felt like that. "CJ, I'm sorry, but you don't have to do this."

He turned back to Slash and looked ready to fight. "I'm not going to hide behind you and Beat forever, and I won't live in your shadow, so as of now…" The Spell book began glowing brightly. "I QUIT NANA'S TRIO!"

Vincent looked down at the book but wasn't surprised to see a new spell. "Fogarusen!" CJ began to glow and suddenly managed to summon a large monstrous creature above him. Everyone looked astounded as CJ struggled to stay conscious. The spell was taking everything he had right now. "CJ, I'm out of spell power. If you're going to finish him do it now."

CJ nodded. "T-this is more than enough."

Slash looked at CJ and then smirked. "Nicely said kid. Kiichiro."

"Dioga Hokeiron!" A large Iron goddess formed in front of Slash. The two spells raced towards each other and then collided.

They attempted to push each other back. CJ was well past his limit and he knew it, but he wanted to win! He had to win! "AAAAAHHHHH!" His spell began pushing the goddess back and Slash was surprised.

"He's pushing Slash back!" Neon said amazed.

"Dude! If he loses we have bragging rights for life!" Anaso said looking closely.

Alice was biting her lip. "I don't care who wins, just please be okay CJ…"

"C'mon CJ!" Derrick chanted. "You can do it!"

"Push him back CJ!" Haley yelled.

CJ kept pushing forward and Slash smirked. "You really are Angie's little brother. Right down to the bullheadedness." The Goddess suddenly began pushing him back. CJ didn't give up and kept trying to push forward, but it wouldn't budge.

The two spells both explode and nearly blew everyone back. Everyone was coughing and waiting for the dust to clear to see what happened. Had CJ actually managed to pull it off? When it cleared, everyone looked closely. CJ was down, laying on his back. And Slash was… still standing. His shirt was burned off, but he was still standing.

CJ tried to get up but could not. He was spent, he's used everything he had, and he still lost. Slash walked past him and waved. "Well, that was fun while it lasted. See later runt." He walked off leaving CJ on the ground. "When you see my brother again, tell him he's next."

CJ wanted to reach out and stop him, to keep fighting. But, he just couldn't. His body was no longer listening to him. He heard footsteps and then looked up and saw Angie. Was she coming to check on him? He seemed surprised when she walked right past him. "You may not be part of Nana's Trio anymore, but you still represent Nana's village. Next time I expect you to win."

She kept going not saying another word to him. He watched as she walked off. It seemed like he was always going to be behind her no matter how much further he got. "CJ-kun!" Alice stood over him looking worried. "What were you thinking you idiot! You could have been killed."

She lifted her hands up and Derrick read a spell. "Kiroshi!"

Her hands began glowing and CJ felt a weird tickling sensation. "A healing spell? When did you get that?" He asked.

"Last week. But you're body is so torn up it might take a while."

He looked even more depressed. "I lost…"

Vincent sat down beside him and frowned. "Yep. You got your ass soundly kicked." He stated. "You usually have to pay to see an ass whuppin of that caliber." He rubbed in.

"Jackass…" CJ muttered.

"Want me to tell you a secret?" CJ looked curious. "When I was little I got really tired of my brother and sister always picking on me. So I challenged Aaron to a fight."

"What happened?"

"He beat me into the dirt." Vincent said. "But he said he respected me for making a stand… I poisoned his food later."

"Hey!" Aaron yelled.

"I'm sure at the very least Angie will stop trying to baby you now. And you also gained a new spell from this." Vincent said patting him on the head.

"Plus, if you would have been doing the strategy instead of me, I think we could have won." CJ said smiling.

Vincent laughed. "No, you still would have got your ass kicked, you're way to weak to take him on." He said. His words stabbed CJ like a knife in the chest. "It just would have taken a hell of a lot longer."

"Are you supposed to be making me feel better you asshole!"

"Since when do I make people feel better?! Wallow in despair you weakling!" The others smiled and watched as the two began arguing again.

* * *

Angie bit her thumbs as she walked down the street. "You're that worried about him?" Slash asked leaning against the wall.

"Slash, I can't help but worry. I found him when he was a baby. I helped raise and train him. I know he wants to be on his own but he's still my baby brother." She said worried. Slash shrugged. He supposed he shouldn't be giving people advice on how to treat their little brothers. "Are you okay?" She asked.

Slash felt his side and winced. "The little bastard broke three of my ribs with that last attack. It's like he suddenly got a burst of power. I had to go full strength there for a second."

Angie thought carefully. CJ was strong, she knew that. But how strong was he really? How much power was he hiding in that tiny body of his? "I have to go get Intel on the enemy. Slash, do me a favor."

"What?"

"Keep an eye on CJ for me."

How overprotective was she? "I don't think he wants a babysitter."

"Not to protect him, just watch him from a dinner. If he shows, any signs of trouble contact me."

"Fine."

* * *

**A/N: Contrary to popular belief I'm alive. I've just been swamped with work. HVAC ain't no joke. I hope you guys liked the chapter. I wanted to get this whole 'CJ's Independence' thing out of the way, but I didn't really see him fighting Angie herself, so I used the only other logical choice. Slash! Hopefully i'm not to rusty with the battles. The Next Chapter will be on Beat. And you'll also get to find out more about these mysterious enemies...  
**


	18. Beat & Bou

CJ winced in pain as Angie dabbed away at his cheek with a cotton ball. He tried to sit still but with every touch he wanted to jump up and cling to the ceiling. "OW! Be a little bit gentler for nana's sake! You're being rougher than crabs in a barrel!" He shouted as he tried to back away. Angie didn't change her expression and kept on rubbing away as his injuries with the alcohol. "I said be gentler!"

She lifted her sword case and bonked him on the head with it. "You made it perfectly clear that you don't want to be babied anymore. So from now on when I'm treating your injuries you won't be babied anymore." She said with a stoic expression on her face. She roughly planted a bandage on his cheek and he flinched. "You're getting exactly what you wanted. From now on I'll be as tough as you as I am on Beat."

CJ grew wide-eyed. "I said I wanted to be treated like an equal, not like crap." It wasn't hard to see who Angie favored between her siblings. While she constantly had babied CJ she was always tougher on Beat. It had a lot to do with him being much less mature then his age had called for. "Hey, has Beat come back from tracking that spy yet? It's been a while."

Angie placed another bandage on his arm. "He'll be fine. Rachel went after him to make sure he had access to his spells, and Bou also tagged along with her."

CJ thought about Bou for a second. He never really knew a lot about him since he never spoke to anyone aside from Beat. "That guy is really weird isn't he? All he does is stand and stare. I don't even think I've heard him talk before." CJ said scratching his head. "In fact, I don't even really know who the guy is. He just showed up at Nana's village one day didn't he?"

Angie shook her head. "No, he and Beat are actually best friends. Bou is a surprisingly subtle person under all that muscle. He despises violence and fighting."

He frowned. "I don't understand then. How can a guy who doesn't like fighting be in the competition for King? He did know that this was a 'battle' didn't he?" CJ asked.

Angie sighed. "It's complicated."

* * *

_Bou walked won the path towards his house as quietly as usual. He hadn't run across a single person since school had ended. Maybe today he would be able to get home without a fight. Not a second after the thought crossed his mind was he hit by a brick. He didn't even flinch, but he was well aware of what was happening. "Hey guys, look, it's the monster." Bou looked back over his shoulder and kept on walking. _

"_Look at him, the big brute. He didn't even feel that brick hit him." _

"_He's got to be some kind of freak." _

"_No wonder his clan was wiped out." _

"_He's way to strong for his own good." _

"_He never even speaks. He's just waiting to explode." _

_Bou was used to hearing these types of things, and used to ignoring them. Besides, when he thought about it they were right. His clan had been a brutish one that loved to fight. When news came that they were on the brink of extinction everyone celebrated. Being the last of his kind didn't matter. He was labeled as the brutish monster. A glutton for battle, even if he didn't want it. _

_Ironically his false reputation brought more challengers rather then scare them off. Everyone wanted to be the man who killed the last of the monsters. He heard a few more of them coming out and tried to walk faster but then was cut off. He looked up and saw a large group of boys surrounding him. "Hey freak, where do you think you're going?" _

_He simply stood in place not willing to answer him. He looked around hoping there was some way to escape, but there was none. "You must think you're so great. Never answering us, walking around like your some hot shot. You think you're better than us?" The leader asked as his hands turned to magma. "Well, why don't I show you just how 'great' you are?" _

_He looked around and saw everyone preparing to attack him. He wouldn't budge, he never budged. His body could take anything they could throw at him and more, so he simply braced himself. Right before they were about to fire everything went silent. A loud explosion went off and blew everyone back. Bou looked confused. Had someone missed? _

_Another explosion took place behind him and he turned to find just one figure left standing, a boy holding two guns. The weapons vanished into thin air and the boy began walking towards him. "Yo man, you looked like you were in real trouble back there." The boy said placing his hands behind his head. "Good thing I stepped in bro." _

_Bou simply stared at him for a few second before turning and walking off. Beat looked completely astounded. "Hey hey! Check it now! I just saved you big guy, couldn't I at least ger a thank you." _

"_S-sorry. Thanks for the help." He said before continuing to walk off. _

"_What's your name big guy?" Beat asked smirking._

"_Bou." He deadpanned. _

"_Why were those guys picking on you?" _

_He didn't really feel like answering that. It was a long story and Bou was a man of few words. "I appreciate the help, but you shouldn't do that anymore. If they think you're trying to help me they'll attack you to." He said walking on. It had happened before, a few others kids that wanted to be heroes but were beaten along with all the rest, If not by the other kids, then by him. _

_That is why he never had friends. Or rather he couldn't have friends. They would just end up being pulled into his mess. So he engulfed himself in solitude. "Man, your such a downer dude. You need to lighten up. You're tiptoeing big man, and you need to strut!" He said smirking. "My names Beat. You know, I think you and I could be good friends." _

"_What exactly makes you say that?" Bou said still moving forward. _

"_Don't know yo. Just got a hunch." He said shrugging his shoulder._

* * *

Beat walked through the streets of Tokyo and kept his eyes peeled. He needed to spot their little attacker from earlier but so far he had nothing. Rachel and the other had figured that they would have a better chance if they split up, so they went their separate ways. Rachel could easily contact him if need be and Bou was in the area. He hadn't brought his partner, but he was still more than enough back up.

"Help!" Beat looked around and tried to spot where the voice came from. No one else seemed to react but he was sure he'd heard it. "Help me!" He rushed around the corner and nearly bumped into a small girl. She was crying her eyes out.

Beat bent down to check over her. "Hey, what's wrong kid?"

"My partner's been taken! You have to help me!" She grabbed his arm and began dragging him down the street. They went down an alley way and around quite a few cornered. "They took him this way!"

Beat reached up and grabbed his glasses. There were no other powerful sources on his radar, just him and Bou. He turned them off hoping he would be able to sense them himself. He was glad Nana hadn't let him just rely on his tech. He kept leading the girl lead him but closed his eyes. He could sense Bou.

Angie, CJ, everyone else, but they were too far to be the cause of this. He tried to focus even harder on his current location. Maybe they were closer by then he thought. Yes, he did sense something. It was close by. Very close by. "Wait a second, I… wait a second, are you-"

He felt a pulse of pain go through his body. The minute the girl let go of his hand, he fell to his knees in pain. The girl turned around and smirked evilly at him. "You're a fool. The minute a little girls flashes a smile at you, you throw caution to the wind and want to help. This was twice as easy as I thought it would be." She said chuckling. "Night-night chump." She pulled out a led pip and swung hitting him in the face.

Beat fell back and hit his head on the ground hard. Great, sucker punched. At least Rachel wasn't here and his book was safe. And Bou would also sense he was in trouble in a little while. Somehow, they had always seemed to know when the other was in trouble. Even all those times back then.

* * *

_Bou grabbed his head and tried to maintain control. He could feel it bubbling up inside of him. If he couldn't get out of here soon then he would lose consciousness and go wild. He didn't want that to happen again. "Hey, get up monster, we're not done with you!" He looked up at the group of kids surrounding him. _

_Another boy smiled. "Look at him, he's on his knees. It took us months of trying but we've finally weakened down that ironclad body of yours."_

_He shot another spell and blasted Bou. He winced and then stood up on his feet. He couldn't hold it in anymore. Just as he was about to charge someone ran past him. The leader of Bou's attackers was knocked into the air with an uppercut. Beat smirked. "And the super MC makes his was to center stage!" He said fist pumping. "Who else wants a taste of my fresh beats?" _

_Everyone looked at Beat nervously. "He's one of Nana's Trio." _

"_Why's he helping The Monster?" _

"_Why's he here?" _

_A second boy stepped up. "W-what are we all afraid for? We were just about to take down that monster! We can take on one of Nana's Trio easily!" _

_He was about to run in but another grabbed him. "You fool! That's the power house of Nana's Trio, Beat the MC! Not only is he one of the strongest in our school, but even if you did manage to defeat him his siblings would without a doubt come after you!"_

_Another chimed in. "H-he's right! Messing with one of them is like going up against the whole family!" _

_The boys stood around and looked nervous until Beat pulled out his guns. "C'mon I don't need my bro or sis to take on small fry like you. Give it your best shot yo. I promise that even if you somehow manage to beat me there'll be no repercussions." He said cockily. _

_He pointed his guns at them but they all began to turn tail and run. After they all cleared out Beat sighed. "Man. What a drag yo." He turned toward Bou who still looked like he was struggling. "Hey man, I know you're all about peace or whatever, but you should really consider fighting back." _

_Bou panted and tried to calm himself. "H-how did you know I was here?" _

"_A hunch." He said shrugging his shoulders. "Besides, friends can always tell when other friends are in trouble dude… hey, are you alright."_

"_I'm about to go wild, you need to get out of here." _

"_Naw, I think I'll stay." _

"_You don't get it! If your still here when I go crazy, you'll only end up getting hurt." That's how it worked. When he went wild people got hurt. Friends, enemies, when he was like that there really wasn't a difference. _

"_If that's the case I'll just stop you." _

"_Stop me? You can't stop me! You need to-" His vision faded out._

* * *

Bou walked down the alley way and then looked down to find Beat's glasses. Something was wrong, very wrong. Beat never left his glasses. He picked them up and carefully put them in his pocket making sure not to crush them. He looked around trying to find some clue to what had happened. He couldn't sense things like Angie and Slash. He could only use brute strength. It's all he was born with.

He spotted a broken led pipe. He'd been smashed over the head with a led pipe more times than he could count. This was all of the clues he needed. He picked up the pipe and examined it. He was hit from the front, slightly to the right. The way it was bent meant this person had to have some force behind them.

There were small dents near the bottom, they had to be finger prints. And judging by the point of impact and where the prints were located it was a short person. A kid maybe, but definitely not their attacker from earlier. The pipe had been against the wall, it was thrown aside. They would have had to head deeper down the alley. No one would drag a body in midday.

He began making his way down the alley determined to find whoever had managed to catch Beat. He would either find Beat or rescue him or meet up after Beat took down this would be attacker. Even if he had been captured he was in no danger. But he would try and rescue him, he owed him that much. Beat had rescued him from solitude, so he figured this was the least he could do.

* * *

_Bou shot up and looked around. He had done it again, he blacked out and went wild. As he looked around to try and find the destroyed pieces of what used to be his path to and from school, he realized he was inside a building. How could he have gotten here. "You're the one they call the monster right?"_

_He looked over and saw Angie staring at him from across the room. CJ was behind her watching from the doorway. He nodded. He tried to get up but he winced in pain. He was hurt, he had never been hurt before. "What happened? Where am I?" _

"_This is Nana's village. We brought you and Beat here after you two finished your little showdown. We didn't think you two would ever stop slugging it out, but eventually you both just caved in and passed out." She said pointing over at the bed next to him._

_Beat was sitting up in his bed and smiling. "Sup dog." _

_Bou looked and saw that he was all bandaged up. He looked down and then realized so was he. Had Beat actually managed to stop him? That was impossible. He didn't think anyone aside from the adults could stop him. "Why didn't you run, you saw what I was like back there didn't you? How come you didn't escape?" _

"_Well you said you were going to go wild and I figured you might want somebody to stop you. What else are friends for if not doing favors?" He said putting his feet up on the foot of his bed._

_Bou got up and began limping his way towards the door. He nearly fell but Angie caught him. "Your injuries are pretty bad. You should probably rest up." _

_He stood back up and kept walking out. "We're not friends, I can't have friends. Just stay away from me for your own good. Otherwise the next time it could be worst. Just… stop." _

_He walked out leaving Nana's Trio to themselves. "Well that was pretty ungrateful of him." CJ said pouting._

* * *

Beat cursed under his breath and tried to break loose from his chains. He knew he should have just punched that little Brat in the face when he had the chance. "You have to be the dumbest out of the whole flock to fall for that. I was oozing with energy and you were to stalled by the puppy dog eyes to even notice." The girl said laughing.

"Keep laughing you little pint sized brat. When I capture you I'm going to take you back to Vincent and let him dissect you like a frog. You hear me yo?" He asked smirking right back.

"Whatever hotshot, I'm already in control here. When I take you back to the leader, I'll have more than enough to get a rank up." She said rubbing her hands together. "Hey, I might even get two!"

Beat rolled his eyes. "Please, I'm not afraid of you clone wannabe. Bou will be here soon, cause dud is my homie."

"Stop it with the stupid rhyming already." She demanded. "And what do you mean clone?"

"We know all about who you are. Your DNA doubles, not the real stars."

"I said stop it with the rhymes!" She ordered. "And you're a fool if you think we're clones. There was DNA testing for the weaker ones, but the rest of us are full blooded mamodo."

"Holy crap man, that's a shock. I have to tell the others when I get back around the block."

She glared at him. "Do it ONE more time, I swear!" She shouted. "Anyhow you and that Bou guy are going down. He's just as dense as you are so my plan will work just as well on him."

"Bou may be dense but he ain't dumb. This plan will fail cause-" The girl swung and hit him in the shin. "OW! OW, damn it! You stupid brat!"

"I TOLD YOU TO STOP WITH THE DAMN RAPPING!"

Beat scowled and wondered if it was time to break loose, but decided against it. He might as well wait for Bou to show up in case she made a run for it. He'd be here in a few minutes anyway. They had always been there when the other needed it.

* * *

_Beat had never stopped following Bou. He continued to talk to him at school, he ate with him at lunch, kept the kids from messing with him, and he even kept him from rampaging even though it costs him his own fair share of injuries. Bou kept ignoring him but Beat insisted that they hang out. In his eyes they were friends whether Bou agreed to it or not. _

_Today Bou had gotten lucky. He managed to lose Beat before the school bell rang so he'd be able to walk home by himself. In reality he enjoyed having company on the walk home, but he knew it would only put him in danger, and he wanted no one to be in danger on his account. "Where is he!" _

_He stopped and looked around the corner. There was Beat surrounding by more than half their class. "I don't understand it. Why are you protecting that monster? He's not even one of Nana's village." _

_Beat held his hands behind his head. "This is why I hate you nobles so much. You treat the strong guys like their bounties. If you want to make a name for yourself how about you try to take me on?"_

_As much as they would have liked that they knew messing with Beat would be messing with Angie, Slash, and any other residents of Nana's village. But Bou was a loner. No one would care. No one but Beat anyhow. "He's not even like you. You're just some orphan, he's a monster. He can't even think. All he knows is eat, sleep, and fight, he's not capable of anything else." _

_Bou knew he was right. He wasn't a strategist, he wasn't particularly skilled, sometimes he wished he had been like the rest of his clan. Just born with the will to fight. It might have been easier than living like this. "He's just a mons-"_

_The boy didn't get to finish his sentence. Beat dropkicked the boy and looked furious. "I don't take kindly to people talking about my friends." He said cracking his knuckles. "Feel free to fight or attack whenever you want. It won't matter because I actually like fighting. But badmouth my friend, and I'll make sure you don't live to regret it." _

_The next boy jumped at Beat but before anyone knew what was happening Bou snatch him from the air. He lifted him up and then power bombed him into the ground. Everyone looked shocked. This was the first time Bou had made any action against anyone at school. He usually just stood there and took it. but he… he defended someone. "Sorry." Bou said frowning. _

_Beat smirked. "What are you apologizing for? You came just in time for the fun." Beat said ready for a fight." Hey, I know you don't like fighting, so let's make a deal. Help me become king and I can make sure you never fight again. You can just chill in the palace with me and the peeps." _

_Bou smirked. "That sounds nice." _

_A third boy stepped forward. "Do you think we didn't prepare for this. We're more then ready to take the both of you on." He snapped his fingers and more mamodo appeared. From windows, from outside the school gates, from underground. Most of them weren't even from this school. "Even you two freaks won't be able to take on all of-"_

_A flaming fist flew in and punched the boy in the face. CJ landed and frowned. "Geez Nii-chan, you're such a turtle. You were supposed to meet us at the pound forever ago." He said pouting. _

_They heard more screaming and looked over to find Angie slashing her way through the crowd with her sword. "He's right Beat. With your spells you should be able to blow these guys away in an instance. You need more training." Angie said still swinging her sword. Not enough to wound them fatally, but enough to keep them down and out. "Please watch over my brother properly, Bou." _

_More flew into the air as Grace and Slash walked casually towards them. "Oh, so he's the new guy you were talking about. He looks pretty fit. He might have an even better body then you Slash." She teased. "Nice to meet you, Bou." _

_Slash smirked at him. "So this is the famous monster huh? He does seem pretty strong. Should make for a great sparring partner. Let's get along real well." _

_They all stood in the middle of the schoolyard and looked around at the rest of the mamdo. "I call the whole side on the left." CJ said excitedly. "Besides, the new guy always gets the scraps."_

"_Always too big for your britches aren't you kid." Slash said. _

"_He's just excited from being cooped up in school. Let him stretch his legs." Grace said smiling. _

"_He could use the training. Take the left side with him Slash, but don't do to much." Angie instructed. _

"_I don't need him to look after me. If I wanted I could take this whole school!" CJ said flaring up. _

_Bou looked around at all of them. "Welcome to the group pal." Beat said bringing his guns out. "I can tell you're going to fit in just fine."_

* * *

Bou walked down the alleyway until he came to an old Hostess factory. He grimaced. He didn't like Hostess, especially Twinkies. He easily kicked down the door and then made his way inside. He looked around but saw no signs of Beat. He didn't however hear crying. He looked over to the corner and saw a little girl crying. "Excuse me."

He reached down to help but she reached out and grabbed his hand before smiling evilly. "Just as stupid as your friend." Bou felt a pulse of energy run through his body. She waited for him to fall… and waited. He was still standing. Without ever flinching he grabbed her wrists and then hurled her with all the force he could muster. She slammed into the wall and hit the ground like a ragdoll.

He snorted. Beat was as strong as him, if not stronger, but his body wasn't as tough. An attack like that could put almost any mamodo down long enough for a sneak attack, but it was nothing but a light tickle to a body like Bou's. "Where is Beat." He waited for her to answer but she laid silence. "D-did I kill her…?" He asked slightly concerned.

"_D-dman. I should have found Beat before throwing her like that._" He thought to himself. He turned around and tried to figure out where she might have kept him. She couldn't have had time to bring him to her bosses. Otherwise she wouldn't have wasted time coming back for him.

"Only fools turn their back in battle!" The appeared behind Bou who turned around ready to throw an uppercut, but Beat jumped in and kicked her away.

She flew into another wall as Beat landed and scowled. "Wassup dude?" He said smirking. "You came just in time. I knew one hit from you and she'd at least have a broken arm or leg."

The girl's mangled body twisted until she was upright again. "I-I'll make the both of you pay for that! I wasn't hoping to have to use this form but now I'll have no remorse!" She suddenly began growing until she became a huge monstrous bat like creature. She dwarfed them both standing at a mighty twenty five feet. "I'm not taking you alive anymore! Now you're going to DIE!"

Beat sighed. "I was hoping she was really an ugly monster. Now I feel a lot better about hitting her." He said. The mamodo lifted its fist and prepared to slammed down on them

"Geez, you can't handle anything." Rachel's voice said. "Bijurono!"

"You're as dense and stupid as usual." Kerri added. "Bouruno!"

Beat's guns appeared and Bou began glowing slightly. Beat aimed up and fired knocking the mamodo back and Bou moved with incredible speed. He jumped over the mamodo's face and then punched it right in the nose smashing it into the floor. Both of them turned around to the door and saw Kerri and Rachel standing at the door. "Nice of you to join us ladies."

"Shut up. I left you alone for five minutes and you get yourself caught in this mess." Rachel nagged.

"And you, how irresponsible can you get. Knowing he was captured and not telling his partner. Try and use your brain once in a while you idiot." Kerri said harshly.

Both Beat and Bou turned back when the mamodo bean getting back up. "Y-you! He said this would be easy! He said it would be the weakest generation yet!" The mamodo howled. "I won't die here! Not without taking you with me!"

It lifted its claws ready to slash them apart, but suddenly something felt wrong. It looked up and realized it's hand was now falling to the ground. "Training with CJ makes you look like you're moving in slow motion." Beat said from above. The mamodo noticed the blades at the bottom of his guns. How could he have pulled that off?

"Bou…"

"Beat…"

"…finish him." Both Rachel and Kerri ordered.

Beat aimed his weapons down at Bou jumped up readying an uppercut. Beat pulled the trigger blasting the mamodod from above and Bou delivered a brutal uppercut. The mamodo's head was smashed from both directions when both attacked were done it fell to the ground in a bloody mess. "I-I've been defeated. By mere children."

Beat landed near Bou and the two fist bumped before turning to the mamodo. "What do you mean by 'mere children'? And who are you if you're not a clone."

"I-I'm no squealer. Find it out for yourself." It said smirking evilly. It began disappearing, just like a mamodo who had its book burned. "I'll be back, fools."

Everyone else looked astonished. "Well, we didn't find the spy, but we may have found something a lot more interesting." Beat said looking worried.

"Yeah." Bou added stoic as usual.

* * *

**A/N: Muahahahaha! I'm STILL alive... Again, very long time since my last update, but having to face the real world can be time consuming. Up side, I'm going to take my drivers test next week, so ya'll might see me ridin dirty. I promise the next update won't be as long. I would have gotten this chapter up sooner but I was on a week long cruise and had no connection. If I still have any readers out there make sure to review! **


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